Beach replenishment to stretch into summer in Delaware

Parts of the southern-most Delaware beaches will be extra crowded this summer as a delay in replenishment will force work into as late as July.  

Due to complications with permits and equipment, the project will now force 1,000 feet of the beach to be closed at a time in order to replenish the coastline, according the Army Corps of Engineers.

"We try to avoid working in the summer months, but there is a limited number of dredges around the country with the capability to do this type of work so delays on other projects have impacted the schedule for work in Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island," said Steve Rochette, public information officer with the Army Corps of Engineers. 

In an effort to mitigate the impact of thousands of visitors, Rochette said the contractor will close down 1,000 feet at a time.

The first project in Bethany Beach is set to begin May 15 and is expected to take 28 days to do, according to a release signed by Town Manager Cliff Graviet. Work in South Bethany Beach will take place in mid-June and work in Fenwick Island is set to begin in early July.

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In total, the projects are expected to cost $19.28 million, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Pipes and other construction equipment will be moved onto the beach in Bethany Beach in mid-April. In May, two "hopper dredges" will begin repair work in tandem on the beaches in Bethany Beach — the first to supply sand for replenishment to a pipe located between 3rd and 4th Streets, and then a pipe located between Wellington Parkway and Parkwood Street, according to a release.

It is estimated that 200 feet of beach will be repaired every 24 hours, the release said, and the replenishment process will take place around the clock.

"Undoubtedly some will question the timing of this project," Graviet said. "Unfortunately, neither the State of Delaware, nor the affected communities have the ability to schedule these projects as they would like. Likewise, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers does not have the luxury of scheduling projects when it is best for the intended recipients."

Scheduling, the release said, is driven by factors outside of the towns' control, such as the timing of funding, obtaining necessary permitting, survey and plan development, and the availability of dredging companies.

The Bethany Beach and South Bethany Beach project was first done in 2008 and involved creating a 150 berm with a dune 16 feet high, which will be duplicated.

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South Bethany Beach Mayor Pat Voveris said she was "disapointed" by the timing, however, she said she is not frustrated by the project.

"This is just a wonderful initiative, and we are grateful it is being done," she said. "It results in a rebuilt beach and dune that we will enjoy for years to come."

It's a glitch in the road, and they will have to "deal with it," she said, but she said they are "very grateful" for the project and the legislators working behind the scenes to get it done.

The 2018 project will have 659,000 cubic yards of sand pumped onto the beach in Bethany Beach and 500,000 cubic yards of sand onto the beach in South Bethany Beach, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Fenwick Island project was first constructed in 2005. There, a 200-foot berm was created with a 17.7 foot dune behind it to be replicated with the 2018 project.

Fenwick Island Mayor Gene Langan said the decision to have the beach nourishment done during the summer was not their choice.

"People have to understand that in our beach towns there is nothing we can do about this because the state owns the beach and this is a federal program," he said. "We are very grateful to have it done, we are just not grateful when it is being done, but we because we have no say we will make it work for the residents and visitors of Fenwick."

The 2018 project calls for 278,000 cubic yards of sand pumped onto the beach at Fenwick Island, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The work for the project involves dredging sand from approved offshore areas, which is then pumped onto the beach.

The sand is then graded into a dune and a berm template is designed to reduce potential storm damage to infrastructure, businesses and homes.

To the south, Ocean City underwent beach replenishment during the fall of 2017. That project was finished in December.

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