Posted on September 2, 2026
Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, Del. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District shared an update regarding upcoming dredging along the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal in Sussex County, Delaware.
USACE previously awarded a $9.6 million contract to Cottrel Contracting Corporation of Chesapeake, Va. to conduct dredging from the Route 9 Bridge south to the entrance of the Canal at Rehoboth Bay. The contract calls for dredging approximately 89,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal. In 2024, USACE managed a separate contract to dredge the northern portion of the Canal from Roosevelt Inlet to the Route 9 Bridge.
Dredged sediment will be pumped to two dredged material placement sites along the northern section of the Canal (shown in attached map). A hydraulic dredge and booster pumps will be used for the project. Dredging is expected to begin in October 2026 and be completed by March 2027.
The Lewes & Rehoboth Canal includes a shallow-draft federal navigation channel managed by USACE under the ‘Inland Waterway from Rehoboth Bay to Delaware Bay (DE)’ project. The waterway is utilized by both commercial and recreational users, research vessels, and the Delaware Bay and River Cooperative (DBRC), whose mission is oil spill emergency response/cleanup for events in the Delaware River and Bay.
