Following Sen. Tom Carper’s May announcement of almost $60 million for bay beach restoration projects, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announces a formal agreement with the U.S. Army Corps to begin design plans.
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin says the project will transfer dredged material from the Philadelphia to the Sea federal navigation channel to the Delaware bayshore to help reduce the impacts of climate change.
“Obviously, our bayshore is an area of need. Climate change is real – it is happening. Those along the bayshore, as well as along the Atlantic Coast, are seeing it. This is an effort to try to hold back Mother Nature," he said.
The planning process carried about by the Corps is expected to cost $3 million, with 90% coming from federal funds.
DNREC anticipates this initial phase to take around 15 months following the enactment of the agreement on July 30, and although more funding may be needed to complete the entire project, Garvin says that’s something the planning report intends to identify.
“The agreement really outlines the design phase of it to look at the resources that are available, what the needs are along the bay shore – the focus is on the public beaches – and then making a determination on what we can do, what makes the most sense and how far we can have that money go," Garvin explained.
Design work will include updating surveys, assessing beach conditions and needs, specifying placement areas and elevations and designing beach profiles.
Environmental coordination and real estate acquisition will also be required.
