Dredging, beach renourishment slated for Delaware Bay sites

From the Murderkill River south to Lewes Beach, a number of beach replenishment and dredging projects are slated to take place along Delaware Bay in the not-too-distant future.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued public notices Oct. 26 for five different projects.

The Lewes Yacht Club has submitted a subaqueous lands permit request to hydraulically dredge up to 4,600 cubic yards of material from the club’s marina basin. When completed, the depth of the water is expected to be 6 feet below mean low tide. According to the notice, the material will be disposed of at a confined facility off Park Road in Lewes.

The University of Delaware has also requested a subaqueous lands permit to dredge up to 17,800 cubic yards of material from the marina basin at the university’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. The college is located off Pilottown Road, adjacent to the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, across from Lewes Yacht Club. When completed, the water is expected to be 12 feet below mean low tide. According to the notice, the material will also be disposed of at a confined facility off Park Road in Lewes.

The Cape Shores Homeowners Association has submitted a subaqueous lands permit application and water quality certification request to place up to 31,500 cubic yards of sand material from an inland borrow source along 3,200 linear feet of beach along Delaware Bay within Cape Shores. Additionally, the applicant requests a Section 401 Water Quality Certification. Approval is being requested to permanently fill subaqueous lands with approximately 31,500 cubic yards of fill material.

The state’s Division of Watershed Stewardship has filed two applications for renourishment projects in the Murderkill River area of the bay.

The first application is for the ability to place up to 28,000 cubic yards of sand material from an inland borrow source along 1,500 linear feet of beach. The orientation of this project begins at the southern Murderkill River entrance channel jetty and extends to the southernmost residence along South Bowers Beach.

The second application is for the ability to place up to 40,000 cubic yards of sand material from an inland borrow source along 4,700 linear feet of beach. The orientation of this project begins at the Slaughter Beach firehouse and extends southward to the northernmost property of the Isaac Shores subdivision.

A public hearing on the above applications will not be held unless DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin determines one is in the public interest or if a written meritorious objection to an application is received within 20 days of the notice, which is Tuesday, Nov. 15. For more information or to review the documents, contact Catherine Bronson, DNREC wetlands and subaqueous lands section, at Catherine.Bronson@delaware.gov or 302-739-9943.