The Town of Edisto Beach consists mainly of single family homes, a majority of which are available for vacation rental. The Town has 3.5 miles of beach on the Atlantic and 1.2 miles of beach on the South Edisto River. The beach itself is narrow and steep with rock groins perpendicular to shore. The accumulation of sand on the updrift side of the groins and the loss of sand on the downdrift side, gives the beach a "scalloped" appearance. A combination of houses being built on the primary dunes, and erosion results in turtles sometimes nesting under the decks and porches of the homes. The close proximity of the houses and a road contributes to the lighting problems at Edisto Beach. Mammalian predators are not a problem on the beach. There has been a project there since 1982 averaging 80 nests per season.