DNREC Nears Completion of Emergency Beach Nourishment Project

TL/DR –

DNREC is nearing completion of an emergency dredging and beach nourishment project on the north side of the Indian River Inlet. The state-funded project has added about half a million cubic yards of sand to the beach, creating a dune about 25 feet wide and six-to-eight feet high. The Army Corps of Engineers will add another 300,000 cubic yards of sand later in the summer to further increase the width of the beach.

DNREC Nears State Funded Beach Nourishment Completion at Indian River Inlet

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is nearing the end of the state-funded emergency beach nourishment project at Indian River Inlet’s north side.

“We are within a week or two of completing the project, which will result in approximately half a million cubic yards of sand spread across 5,000 feet of shoreline,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson. The project includes creating a dune approximately 25 feet wide and six-to-eight feet high.

The project, addressing significant erosion issues and storms in Delaware’s coastal region that jeopardized Route 1, involved reinstating 480,000 cubic yards of sand, 100,000 cubic yards more than initially projected.

Army Corps of Engineers Set to Take Over Next Stage

The beach currently extends over 150 feet in width. Patterson notes that the next stage, to commence in late summer, will be under the Army Corps of Engineers’ purview.

“The Corps will add another 300,000 cubic yards to further expand the beach’s width. We anticipate being in good shape by the end of the year, with adequate sand to buffer against storms and preserve Route 1, an essential transportation link, for around six-to-eight years,” Patterson announced.

Patterson believes the completed work has already improved storm resilience this winter, with the upcoming week serving as another resilience test.

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