Posted on April 21, 2025
Surfrider Delaware asks for pause before another 500,000 cubic yards of sand added to area
About a month after the state completed the first phase of a two-phase plan to restore the beach north of Indian River Inlet, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has submitted an application to the state to conduct the second phase.
In response to two dune breaches in 2024, a contractor for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control placed about 480,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach north of the inlet.
DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy issued a public notice April 6, on the application for the second phase of the project.
According to the notice, about 500,000 cubic yards of sand beach fill would be placed along the beach in addition to what has already been placed. The area would extend north from the inlet’s north jetty about 5,000 feet. The installation of dune fencing, crossovers and dune grass plantings would subsequently be conducted.
“The purpose of the project is to restore the severely eroded berm and dune system at north beach using beach fill material (sand) back to the project template dimensions as constructed in 2013 following Hurricane Sandy,” reads a 252-page environmental assessment included with the public notice. “This would enhance resiliency and protect critical infrastructure, habitat and recreation from the effects of coastal erosion.”
The sand for Phase 1 of the replenishment came from shoals found immediately west of the inlet. According to the notice, the sand for Phase 2 will come from a shoal immediately east of the inlet in the Atlantic Ocean. The shoal has never been used before for this purpose. The area is rectangular in shape and about 192 acres.
The sand is of excellent quality, with greater than 90% sand content based on investigations for shipwrecks, small aquatic animals and sediment quality data, said the environmental assessment.
Representatives from the Delaware chapter of Surfrider Foundation are asking for the Army Corps to delay the project, which is slated to begin in the fall, and to conduct a public hearing on the project.
“Indian River Inlet is a heavily used surfing and recreational beach which has been impacted by debris and closures for much of the past year. There is significant public interest in getting information about how additional beach replenishment projects may avoid or minimize additional beach closures,” reads an April 11 letter from Surfrider.
Instead of moving forward with the project as expected, Surfrider has asked the Army Corps to delay action to allow the recent state-led beach fill project to equilibrate, to determine where any additional sand may be needed; to restart the sand-bypassing system as soon as possible; and to repair the north jetty so it is more effective at holding sand.
“After a year or more of impacts and closures, efforts should be made to allow the recreational beach and surf break to be used. Closing portions of the beach again in fall of 2025 would be a significant blow to the recreational community and economy, especially since additional replenishment is not needed at this time,” reads Surfrider’s letter.
This will be the second time in recent memory that the Army Corps is working on a project at the inlet. For all of 2024, the Army Corps worked on repairing a failed bulkhead area along the north side of the inlet. A 120-foot section of a walkway along the bulkhead had been closed since 2018.
Comments concerning the beach replenishment application will be accepted through Saturday, April 26. Comments may be sent to: DNREC Coastal Programs, Jesse Hayden, Administrator, 100 W. Water St., Suite 7B, Dover, DE, 19904, or electronically to DNREC_DCP_PublicComment@delaware.gov. For additional information, go to de.gov/dnrecnotices or call 302-739-9283.
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