Delaware receives beach replenishment grants

Beach season might be coming to a close but — three long-awaited beach replenishment projects in Delaware are expected to get underway early next year.

Beaches and dunes in Bethany, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island were damaged by strong storms, including a nor'easter in 2015 and a winter storm in 2016. The projects will involve the dredging 1.2 million cubic yards of sand. The U-S Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $17.2 million dollar contract to an Illinois based dredge and dock company. Senator Tom Carper says it won't just help the environment– but also tourism.

"Well for Delmarva, a key part of our economy is agriculture and another key part of our economy in the southern part of our state and on Delmarva is tourism," he said in a phone interview. "A lot of folks come come to Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, Eastern shore, for other reasons than, but the main share come for our beaches, so it's important that we have beaches that are replenished time to time."

As of right now, the costs of the project will be shared by the federal government and the state of Delaware.