SOUTH BETHANY, Del. - South Bethany officials are pushing forward with plans to improve water quality in the town’s canals, including harvesting algae to help keep the waterways clean.
The town's Canal Water Quality Committee met Monday, March 24 at 10 a.m. to finalize preparations for spring harvesting, which is expected to begin next month and again in mid-May.
The process — referred to by officials as “harvesting” — targets the removal of algae, which has long contributed to water quality concerns.
Town leaders say past efforts are already showing results. According to the South Bethany Town Council, dissolved oxygen levels in April and mid-May of 2023 were 70 percent higher compared to the same period in 2022.
Several other water quality improvement methods are also expected to be reviewed by the committee in the coming weeks.
Local homeowner Bob O’Neal said he’s encouraged by the attention being given to the canals, “The beauty of the town is the fact that it has nice canals,” O’Neal said. “If the canals turn out not to be so nice, it’s going to be detrimental to the town.”