Dewey Beach is moving forward with a flood pump project in collaboration with the Army Corps.
Dewey Beach’s bay side remains the town’s most problematic flood zone. Dewey, along with Rehoboth Beach, were due for preventative beach renourishment from the Army Corps of Engineers this year.
"“And that actually, for some reason, was put on standby by the federal government. There telling us now that it’ll actually go into effect next winter” said Dewey Beach town manager Bill Zolper.
He says the extra year without a renourishment could be an issue since the town has limited income to fund its own projects. Dewey Beach does not collect a property tax.
However, a flood pump system is in the works to reduce flooding on Read Avenue, one of the town’s most affected areas.
The project and design were approved for $1 million dollars in grant funding in 2024…
"And then in November of last year, we were told by the Army Corps that money was also put on hold.” said Zolper.
Zolper told CoastTV that that delay also came without a stated reason or timeframe for unfreezing, and that the Army Corps also refused to give Zolper any notice of denial in writing.
Zolper says the funding has been released following a meeting between Sen. Chris Coons and the Army Corps.
“Senator Coons’ office met with the Army Corps last week and spoke with them about the million dollars that had been put on hold for the pump station. The Army Corps called me on February 3rd and told me that the million-dollar grant has been released.” he said.
The pump aims to reduce flooding on Read Avenue, a commonly flooded road on Dewey’s problematic bay side, which is part of a larger effort by the town to team with state and federal agencies to remediate its flooding issues.
Zolper says the project will now move into final planning and construction phases.
