Dewey moving forward with infrastructure projects
Based on infrastructure committee recommendations, Dewey Beach commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 17 to approve proposals from Remington & Vernick Engineers to complete the second phase of a stormwater pipe relining project and work to reduce flooding on Read Avenue bayside.
The $141,000 pipe relining project is set for Dickinson and Collins avenues, Commissioner David Jasinski said, with work on Rodney and Van Dyke avenues to take place in the future.
This work is a continuation of a years-long GIS stormwater infrastructure management mapping project conducted by RVE to identify existing facilities, conduct a land survey and GPS data collection, and analyze water flow through pipes.
A more complicated project, Jasinski said, is addressing flooding on Read Avenue bayside, which has been an ongoing problem. Valves were removed from a three-valve outfall system there, he said, resulting in worse flooding.
The RVE proposal included putting plastic, not steel, valves back on the outfalls so they last longer if properly maintained, Jasinski said.
“Because of the lack of slope, we’re not going to be able to solve this to everyone’s satisfaction, but [RVE] is also pretty clear that putting the three valves in place and getting this cleaned up is going to make a positive difference to what the people on Read Avenue are dealing with now,” he said.
The long-term solution would be a more aggressive pumping solution, but that would depend upon grant funding, Jasinski said.
Jasinski said RVE provided a written opinion stating that when there are three outfalls, the loss of pressure that results is counterproductive because the valves won’t open, causing more flooding. If three valves are installed, one can be locked to see if drainage improves, he said.
Mayor Bill Stevens said the town applied for a $1 million grant for a pumping station on Read Avenue, and asked whether the town should invest $60,000 in the valve work.
RVE Executive Vice President Chris Fazio, presenting via Zoom, said even if the long-term solution of a pumping station is put into place, redundancy is important. There is value to having the material and keeping it in place, because the pipes will be very useful in that final design, he said.
When Commissioner Elisabeth Gibbings asked if permeable paving was considered for the street, Fazio said the water table is too high for permeable paving to be effective.
By removing contingencies from the bill, Fazio said pricing for placing the flap valves at the end of the outfalls was reduced from $60,000 to $52,000.
