Delaware Congressmembers Call to Restore Cancelled Flood Mitigation Study in Sussex Co.

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. – Delaware’s congressional representatives are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to reinstate the Coastal Storm Risk Management Study of the Delaware Inland Bays and Delaware Bay Coast.

The study, better known as the Back Bay Study, focused on mitigating flood risks in Delaware, particularly in Sussex County. Despite being previously authorized by Congress to examine storm risk management challenges and mitigate flooding, the study was abruptly cancelled by USACE earlier this month. However, U.S. Representative Sarah McBride and U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) say the study had been terminated without providing the legally required 30-day notification to Congress.

“This study was directed by Congress in response to the urgent need to better understand and mitigate flood risks facing Delaware communities. We therefore request a meeting in the coming weeks to better understand the challenges USACE identified and discuss potential pathways to resume or restructure this effort in a manner that fulfills the study’s intended purpose and addresses the critical needs of Delawareans…As sea levels continue to rise, Delawareans simply cannot afford for USACE to walk away from this Congressionally authorized effort,” the lawmakers concluded in their open letter.

To read the lawmakers’ letter in full, click here.