Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, USACE Commanding General and the 54th U.S. Army Chief of Engineers, has signed the Chief’s Report for the “Delaware Beneficial Use of Dredged Material for the Delaware River Feasibility Study” — a key milestone for the proposed project.
The signing of the report advances the project to Congress for authorization.
The recommended plan calls for the dredged material to be used to construct a dune and berm system at Bowers Beach, South Bowers Beach, Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook Beach and Lewes Beach while a berm system would be constructed at Pickering Beach and Kitts Hummock.
Initial construction of the project would be implemented in phases depending on funding and future dredging requirements. After initial construction, the sites would be eligible for periodic nourishment every six years.
The study was developed in response to damages along the Delaware Bay shoreline caused by erosion, wave attack, and inundation.
Image source: USACE
The report recommends beneficially using dredged material from the bay for beach nourishment in the following Delaware communities: Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, Bowers Beach, South Bowers Beach, Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook Beach and Lewes Beach.
The proposed project would use sand dredged from the bay to construct dunes and berms to reduce the risk of coastal storm damages to infrastructure.
The USACE Philadelphia District routinely dredges the federal shipping channel of the Delaware River and Bay to enable maritime commerce. In the future, USACE anticipates dredging approximately 930,000 cubic yards of sand from the Delaware Bay every two years.
The next step will be the approval of the Chief’s Report by the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), after which it will be sent to Congress for authorization.
Once authorized and funded, the project would move forward through planning, engineering, design, and eventual construction.