Starting Sept. 15, visitors to the northside beach of Delaware Seashore State Park will face temporary closures as a large-scale beach nourishment project gets underway.
On September 26th, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will host a virtual community meeting to share results from a study on the economic benefits of beach nourishment. According to DNREC, the study will develop cost-share ratios, based on these benefits, to be presented to policymakers.
Beach nourishment restores eroded sand and protects our coast. DNREC says due to rising costs and demands for the projects, funds could run out by 2025 if money is not allocated from somewhere else.
Coastal towns, like Rehoboth Beach, rely on it's beaches, especially to bring in tourism. Beach nourishment is important in general, but it is especially needed after major storms.
The work will go approximately one month longer than originally anticipated.
The Army Corps of Engineers says the canal has not been dredged since 2002, and this is very necessary for safety purposes.