Boost for bay beaches
The state and federal governments have spent millions in recent years, with plans to spend more, to build up Delaware’s beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
Now the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has turned its attention to Delaware Bay beaches, which pleases residents along the dwindling coastline.
“We absolutely need it,” said Carol Costello, who lives in Kitts Hummock with her husband, Mike.
“We have lived here five years, and in five years, we have had no replenishment. The last storm, maybe because we were hit so hard over Labor Day, washed almost all of the sand away. There is hardly any left.”
DNREC is soliciting bids from companies interested in providing a 10-year management plan for bay beaches that will address issues such as current and future erosion rates and sites from where sand can be pumped.
Bids are due Nov. 22 and the agency hopes to make a decision soon after.
“We want to hire someone to come in and see what needs to be done, if anything needs to be done,” said Maria Sadler of DNREC’s shoreline management section.
“We want to see what needs to be done to protect the coastline.”
Beaches naturally erode, which takes away a treasured recreation area and endangers nearby homes.
The situation is worst at the south end of Kitts Hummock, a small beach southeast of Dover, Mrs. Costello said.
A recent storm caused water to surround and eventually flood into a beachfront home.
“It is imminently important that they get this done,” she said.
The state has replenished bay beaches before and DNREC often trucks in sand and constructs temporary dunes.
The project will start with Pickering Beach in Kent County and extend to Primehook and Broadkill beaches in Sussex County.
Kitts Hummock, Bowers Beach, South Bowers and Slaughter Beach are included, but not Woodland Beach near Leipsic.
“That is not in our jurisdiction,” Ms. Sadler said.
“Woodland Beach is not a sandy beach like the rest.”
Beach replenishment can be expensive, but a price tag has not been set for the work.
“Once we hire the engineers, they will give us an estimate of the costs,” Ms. Sadler said.
The bay beach work comes at a time when nourishment projects in Sussex County along the Atlantic shoreline have drawn much attention.
Last year work wrapped up on a $10.3 million project that built up 2½ miles of oceanfront shore to protect beaches at Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach.
The shoreline at Rehoboth Beach, which erosion had whittled to 50 feet in some areas, was built up to 125 feet.
The beach at Dewey Beach was built up to 150 feet.
Both beaches will have 25-foot-wide dunes rising 6 feet above ground level.
State and federal officials are waiting for Congress to approve funding for a similarly large project to beef up beaches at Bethany Beach and South Bethany.
After remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto hammered southeastern Sussex over Labor Day weekend, little sand remained on the shore in Bethany Beach and South Bethany.
Sunbathers on Labor Day had a sliver of beach between the water and the boardwalk to lie on while soaking up rays.
“We are still awaiting federal funding and we are still awaiting some easements,” Ms. Sadler said.
source: www.newszap.com
