LEWES, Del.- Back in September, the City of Lewes announced the Army Corps of Engineers would be performing dredging on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal in October. The dredging of the Lewes Canal is currently underway, and the Army Corps of Engineers says the canal has not been dredged since 2002, and this is very necessary for safety purposes.
"The depth of this channel that we maintain is between six and 10 feet, and so dredging basically enable us to keep that depth where it's meant to be for ships to navigate, for recreational vessels, recreational fishing, the coast guard, and also oil response and other factors," explained Steven Rochette, Spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia office. Rochette continued, "Having that channel in place and navigable for boaters is really the purpose of the project."
The Army Corps says it frequently monitors the channels, and alerts mariners of any hazards, but dredging helps to minimize the danger.
Jay B. Walsh owns Anglers Marina in Lewes. Walsh told CoastTV, "I think the project will improve the boating community quite a bit."
The Army Corps says dredging will make fishing and boating easier. The Army Corps expects the project to be completed in late December. In addition to the dredging, beach nourishment, also conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers will begin in December in Lewes.