Del. beach replenishment gets shot in arm with federal funding

SLAUGHTER BEACH, Del. – Beach replenishment is getting a major shot in the arm along Delaware’s coast. Monday morning, leaders gathered in Slaughter Beach to announce funding in that state leaders are calling long overdue.

Federal Funding

U.S. Senator Tom Carper of Delaware was on hand, as he helped to secure $10 million in earmark spending for the efforts. In addition, the United States Army Corps of Engineers released its work plan, allocating another $21.9 million to the initiative.

The money will be used to restore beaches, and build storm protection systems like dunes, in Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook Beach, and Lewes Beach.

“It’s getting more expensive. The impacts are becoming greater,” said Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn Garvin. “Climate change is having a significant impact on [Delaware]. So, resources coming to the table to help us extend that is extremely helpful.”

Efficiency in Efforts

Sen. Carper hopes that replenishing the dunes will make the beaches more attractive, and accessible, to visitors.

“Tourism is the number two industry in Delaware, and it’s the number two job creator in Delaware,” Sen. Carper said. “We want to make sure that continues to be strong and vibrant. And, the Army Corps of Engineers is hugely important in making that happen.”

DNREC is working closely with the Corps to identify the most efficient use of the money.

“The Corps is looking to use resources, not just from the sandbar, but from maintenance dredging, and other things that they have going on,” Garvin said. “Even demobilizing and remobilizing the dredging operations to bring the sand on is a costly piece of it. So, we’re going to take all of that into consideration. We want it to go as far as it can, but we also want to make sure it’s meaningful.”

Watching Wetlands and Wildlife

Garvin says another key piece of the puzzle is wetlands management. That’s especially so in a place like Slaughter Beach, where the community is flanked on one side by the ocean, and on the other side, by the Mispillion River.

However, it’s not just the communities that humans have built that need the help. The replenishment is also hugely important for wildlife, like migratory birds, and an icon of the lowest lying state in the nation, horseshoe crabs.

“Everybody looks at the flat sand that we’re on. But, the real big key is the dune system, and being able to build that up, while extending the length of the coast,” Garvin said.

Combatting Climate Change

And in the face of a warming climate, and rising sea levels, leaders say this funding can’t come at a better time. However, Sen. Carper says that pipeline needs to stay supplied.

“It’s real, it’s really happening. The question is, are we going to do anything about it? And, the answer is that we are doing things to address climate change and global warming,” Sen. Carper said. “We’re putting up too much carbon dioxide and global gasses. So, we do both; we do the prevention, and we move the sand around to make sure we protect our economy and protect our communities.”