SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- The Water Resources Development Act 2022 allocates resources that assist Delaware’s sand bypass plant at the Indian River Inlet Bridge.
The bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022)
authorizes much-needed investments in projects and programs of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) across the country.
Coastal Consultant Tony Pratt said the investment is crucial for the bypass plant which keeps erosion at bay and pumps sand from the south side to north side of the inlet where there would otherwise be no beach.
"The bypass plant by itself can't keep up with the amount of erosion on the north side caused by that stabilized inlet," Pratt said.
The sand bypass plant at the Indian River Inlet is critical to protecting the Indian River Inlet Bridge and Highway Route 1 and connecting Delawareans to their homes, places of work, schools, hospitals, and more.
Some locals are pleased to see resources put into an area they love so dearly.
"I think it is important for all Delawareans to appreciate even more what we have down here in our small state," Steve Pilnick said.
In addition to prioritizing the plant, WRDA also directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to renourish the Indian River Inlet Beach, when the sand bypass plant is not operating, using dredged material or trucking in sand, a similar practice used for other beaches in Delaware.