Lt. General Todd Semonite of the Army Corps of Engineers recently signed off on the plan that would place dredged material from the Delaware River and Bay at Bowers Beach, Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook Beach and Lewes Beach.
“That moves the project forward. It advances it forward towards Congress for eventual authorization, and once the project gets approved by Congress it then becomes eligible for future funding essentially,” said US Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia district spokesman Steve Rochette. “So that is the important step that we just had recently.”
This plan was developed from a study conducted by the Army Corps and DNREC in the wake of Hurricane Sandy that documented damages to Delaware’s shoreline caused by erosion, wave attack, and inundation.
Rochette notes the dredged material is currently dumped in an open water disposal area in the bay called buoy-10.
“That’s the least-cost option available, but with this study we’re really looking to do something else that is beneficial with the sand, and that’s how it differs from the plan as it is now,” he said.
The initial project is estimated to cost approximately $100 million, plus the cost to re-nourish the dune and berm system with dredged material every six years.
The Army Corps anticipates dredging sand from the Delaware Bay at a rate of approximately 930,000 cubic yards every two years.
In a statement, DNREC Secretary Sean Garvin called the project “an additional potential resource for the state to utilize for replenishment projects along the coast.”
The project still needs approval from the Assistant Secretary of the Army and then goes to Congress for authorization.
