Georgetown County is seeking permits to dredge nearly 16.5 miles of creeks and channels to restore navigable depths within Murrells Inlet estuary, which has been met with widespread controversy over the health of the inlet.

The county initially applied for permits in 2023 and has since made revisions to the scope of the project to reduce impacts. Now the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, an environmental law firm, says the revision underestimates the impacts to oyster beds and marsh grass, essential ecological features of the estuary.