BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Towns, like Bethany Beach, were notified on Friday, November 3rd, that the Delaware Inland Bays and Delaware Bay Coast, Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study, also known was Back Bay Study, was put on hold. According to DNREC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there was not sufficient funding for the study. The purpose of the study is to develop plans and strategies to minimize flooding and storm damages for coastal bay towns.
Bethany Beach Mayor, Rosemary Hardiman, says the town council is petitioning the government to find the funding and make the study happen because flooding not only causes damage, but it also put peoples' safety at risk.
"You just wonder if the legislature really cares, and if DNREC really cares because if they really cared, they would want to invest the money to ensure that they can protect people and property and our agricultural land which is so vital to the state," explained Mayor Hardiman.
Matthew Cooney has lived in Bethany Beach his entire life, and he now manages a store in downtown. Cooney says flooding is a regular problem.
"I mean it happens all the time and honestly it deviates people getting into their homes and people getting into their businesses," said Cooney.
Another Bethany Beach local says the study is key to the survival of coastal bay towns.
"Coastal towns generate a lot of revenue for the state, so you do not want to have problems in the towns," explained Michael Boswell, who lives in Bethany Beach.
The Army Corps and DNREC explained the agencies may propose joint funding opportunities.