Ready for a fight: How this group wants to preserve a Brunswick County inlet

Cane Faircloth walks the docks at Holden Beach Marina and looks out toward the Lockwood Folly Inlet.

Though the inlet itself is not visible, Faircloth, a Holden Beach native and fifth-generation fisherman, has navigated the waters many times.

“See that tree line?” he asks, pointing to a cluster of trees. “The inlet’s right around there.”

Faircloth has seen the Lockwood Folly Inlet when it was 10 to 12 feet deep throughout and boats of all sizes could pass through easily, and he’s seen it as it is now — nearly impassable. As president of the Lockwood Inlet Association, a local nonprofit organization, he’s working to see the inlet maintained and preserved for future generations.

For years, the association has been fighting to have the inlet dredged three to four times a year, but now, members of the association are proposing a more permanent solution: a jetty system between Oak Island and Holden Beach.

Importance of the Inlet

Faircloth spends much of his time on and in the water, and he understands how important the area’s rivers and waterways are for the area.

“The Atlantic Ocean’s our greatest resource here at the coast,” he said. “That inlet, as an outlet to the ocean, is another one of your greatest resources.”

He explained preserving the inlet achieves three goals: promoting public safety, providing economic stimulus through tourism and fishing, and protecting the environment.

When it comes to public safety, the inlet provides easy access to both Oak Island and Holden Beach. Faircloth explained this is important, especially in the summer months when the area is crowded and people are in the water.

When it comes to the inlet’s economic importance, Faircloth said it’s crucial for it to be “open and safe” because many tourists use it, and they may not be familiar with the area. Currently, there are four known sunken Civil War-era vessels in the Lockwood Folly Inlet, including two blockade runners. At low tide, part of one of the vessels protrudes above the water.

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Finally, Faircloth noted when the inlet is open, it performs an important function for the environment.

“A healthy inlet improves water quality because it’s getting flushed good,” he said. “The tide goes out, and it carries nasty water out, and then it filters itself out in the big ol’ ocean, and it brings clean, fresh water back in.”

Faircloth said last summer, the Lockwood Folly River experienced algae bloom events. Members of the community took the samples to labs for testing, and Faircloth said the tests revealed something called “sea sawdust” because the bacterial colonies look like sawdust floating on the water’s surface.

“That was the first time something like that has happened here in my lifetime that I know of,” he said. “But that’s where we’re headed, and if we don’t get this under control, it’s just going to get worse.”

What about dredging?

For years, Lockwood Folly Inlet has been maintained through dredging provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But Faircloth said getting the area dredged as often as needed wasn’t easy. It required funding and the availability of a shallow-draft dredge.

Faircloth recalled when the inlet association first started, the “battle” was to get the funding for dredging. Then the federal government created the shallow-draft inlet fund in 2021, which allocated money for the maintenance of the state’s shallow-draft inlets.

“We got on a really good program, and felt like we won that battle,” Faircloth said.

But then he said getting the dredge to the area became an issue. Faircloth said he had a conference call with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who told him the Oregon Inlet dredging project was being given priority.

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But according to David Connolly, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District, the Lockwood Folly Inlet isn’t being dredged because it has become too shallow.

“The issue is that Mother Nature isn’t allowing us to get in there,” Connolly explained.

He noted that when it comes to the Lockwood Folly, the Corps uses a side-casting dredge from its shallow draft fleet, usually the Merritt, which Connolly acknowledged is in high-demand right now.

He added that funding to dredge the Lockwood Folly Inlet is available, and the Corps will do it once the area is deemed accessible.

But Faircloth believes the inlet became inaccessible due to a lack of maintenance, and the association is looking at other ways to address the problem.

A permanent solution

When it comes to keeping the Lockwood Folly Inlet open and navigable, the Lockwood Inlet Association is exploring its options. One solution proposed involved teaming up with the Carolina Beach Inlet Association to purchase a dredge that could be shared, but another solution — a jetty — garnered more support during a recent association meeting.

According to Connolly, constructing a jetty will require a permit from the Corps of Engineers. At this point, he said no applications have been submitted for the project. But Faircloth said the decision to advocate for a jetty system was just made in early March. Now, the association will begin approaching local, state and federal officials to advocate for the project.

Faircloth acknowledged it may be an uphill battle.

“Anytime you do a hard structure, there are going to be people opposed,” he said. “There are environmental groups and law firms, and that’s their job; it’s what they look for. They sue for a living, so there’ll be lawsuits, there’ll be hurdles we have to overcome.

But when it comes to protecting the inlet, he’s ready for the fight.

“It’ll be a process, and it’ll be a long process,” he said. “But, hey, if we work for it, and we get one in 10 years, it’s worth it.”

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Could a jetty be the solution the Lockwood Folly Inlet needs?