This article has been updated with additional information.
SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started dredging along the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal, with work expected to continue through March 2027. Some homeowners living near the canal are now raising concerns about where the dredged material will be placed.
The Army Corps previously awarded a $9.6 million contract to Cottrel Contracting Corporation of Chesapeake, Virginia, to dredge the canal from the Route 9 bridge south to the entrance at Rehoboth Bay.
The project calls for removing approximately 89,000 cubic yards of sediment from the canal. A hydraulic dredge and booster pumps will be used to pump the dredged sediment to two placement sites along the northern section of the waterway, said the Army Corps.
One of those placement areas sits near a line of homes along the canal. Lewes resident Liz Ross, who has lived in the area for about 30 years, said she did not know dredged sediment would be placed behind her home.
“We have flooding problems back by the canal. Back here. Ever since we’ve moved in, it’s gotten worse,” Ross said. “And it’s unclear to me whether this will make it any better or just worse, if they dump dredging back there.”
Others who use the canal say the dredging could improve conditions on the water. H.D. Parsons, owner of Fisherman’s Wharf, a family-owned Lewes business, said he believes the project could benefit boat traffic.
“I think it’s a bonus. It will help with the recreational traffic, maybe some commercial traffic as soon to see. And only time will tell,” Parsons said.
The Army Corps said dredging operations in more remote areas of the canal will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In more developed areas near the canal, work will be limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
In 2024, the Army Corps managed a separate contract to dredge the northern portion of the canal from Roosevelt Inlet to the Route 9 bridge.
The Lewes & Rehoboth Canal includes a shallow-draft federal navigation channel managed by the Army Corps as part of its Inland Waterway from Rehoboth Bay to Delaware Bay project.
The waterway is used by commercial and recreational boaters, research vessels and the Delaware Bay and River Cooperative. The cooperative provides oil spill emergency response and cleanup services for events in the Delaware River and Delaware Bay.
