DNREC is temporarily closing the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp near Port Penn for dredging.
The ramp and intertidal beach on the south side will periodically close between Thursday, September 16 and Friday, October 15 for maintenance dredging of the boat ramp access channel.
During this time, the boat ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. each Monday until 5 p.m. each Thursday.
It will be open the remainder of the time on weekends, and the parking lot will also remain open during the dredging project.
John Clark with DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife explains why the project is taking place.
"We have to dredge every couple of years. It just has something to do with the hydrology of the Delaware River in the vicinity of Augustine," said Clark. "It tends to drop a lot of silt along the shore there so the ramp gets silted in really badly."
Clark adds this is a common project needed for low tides.
"We get to situations where at low tide at Augustine you barely have like a foot of water there so for a lot of boats it's very difficult to get out in or out at low tide so one of DNREC's dredge crews from another one of our divisions, the Division of Watershed Stewardship will come over," said Clark. "We'll try to get it in every two years to dredge it out."
Clark adds the dredging ensures there will be two-to-three feet of water there during low tide, but he notes every two years river silts fill the channel back in.
During the dredging project, boaters who use the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp can use the Fort DuPont Boat Ramp which is about five miles north in Delaware City.
The dredging project should be completed by October 15, weather permitting.
