Replenishment Projects Coming to Sussex County Beaches

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - A plan to replenish popular local beaches is in motion in southern Delaware. Beach nourishment projects will take place in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, and Fenwick Island.

As the lowest-lying state in the country, Delaware coasts and the state as a whole are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Governor Carney has shared that these upcoming projects will protect homes, businesses, and the economy in Delaware.

"Beach replenishment, which is a partnership between the state and federal governments, is necessary to preserve tourism, one of our largest economic sectors, as well as to protect the safety of our communities and residents," Governor Carney said. 

Coastal Consultant Tony Pratt said it's an important step toward bringing the beach back to its usual state.

"To widen the beach, put the dunes back what it is supposed to be, put the fencing back up, put the crossing back up. It brings it back up to what's called design standard," Pratt said. 

Some local business owners feel like it is not a permanent solution to the damage caused time and time again by storms.

"You could put heads together and think of something that is going to be a longer shelf life than a year or two or even in less than," Kim Neff said. 

But some experts said it is part of a natural cycle of restoring the beaches. 

Weeks Marine of Cranford, New Jersey, received the $23.8 million contract to conduct periodic nourishment on three dune and beach projects. The contract is a joint effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Costs of the project will be shared by the federal government and the state of Delaware.

The Army Corps also recently signed a different agreement with DNREC to complete a study on risk management and mitigation for possible future flooding in the Delaware Inland Bays.

Sand will be dredged from offshore borrow sites and pumped through a series of pipes to be placed on beaches. It will then be arranged into an engineered dune and berm, which is designed to reduce damage from coastal storms.

In Rehoboth Beach, 196,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed between North Surf Avenue to the bandstand area. Another 194,000 cubic yards will be placed between Salisbury Street and Beach Avenue in Dewey Beach.

Bethany Beach's replenishment will take place from Third Street to Wellington Park, and again in South Bethany from around North Fifth Street to the north end of Fenwick Island State Park. The Bethany Beach projects are estimated to use the greatest amounts of sand, with 245,000 cubic yards going to the northern project location and another 287,000 going to the southern one.

Fenwick Island will have sand placed from around Kames Street south to Lighthouse Road.

Dunes and associated beach access points will be repaired in certain areas, but most of the work will focus on widening the beach from the water to the dune. The Army Corps could revisit contract options to place additional sand depending on surveys on the condition of the beach.

The Army Corps told WRDE they expect the project to begin in the winter or early spring. They said their goal is to have it completed before summer of 2023.