Posted on May 18, 2017
By Lissette Nunez, WMDT
For the past couple of years, Delaware beaches have been slammed by strong storms, causing its dunes to deteriorate.
Jack Gordon, the Mayor for Bethany Beach says, “the dunes used to be 14 feet tall, they used to go out that far. Then another 50 feet, so we would have another 150 feet of beach. Well that is really compressed now.”
Mayor Gordon says Nor’easters have caused significant beach erosion up the Delmarva peninsula. He’s been concerned about whether Delaware’s dunes could hold up if future storms were to hit.
“We’re worried about the boardwalk which is an uninsured property, you can’t really insure the boardwalk. And if you don’t have the dunes to protect it, whenever you have some wild storm it is endangered, says Mayor Gordon.
However on Monday, he breathed a sigh of relief. Sen. Carper announced the U.S .Army Corps of Engineers received funding to do beach replenishment work on Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island beaches.
“So beach replenishment is putting dunes on the beach that are sacrificial, and as the ocean’s waver energy comes in it will wear way the dunes as opposed to the boardwalk or the structures here,” says Nathan Barcomb, from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
The 20 million dollar project will pump 100 million cubic yards of sand to the beaches using a series of pipes. We’re told projects like these serve as protection during floods, but also continue attracting visitors.
“It’s going to take several months to construct, probably this time next year, the beach repairs should be complete,” says Barcomb.
This beach replenishment project is expected to kick off this fall and will be funded by a federal program that repairs projects damaged by severe storm events.
Source: WMDT
