REHOBOTH BEACH, DE – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that a beach nourishment project for City of Rehoboth Beach partnering DNREC’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section with the US Army Corps of Engineers expects to begin pumping sand this week along the north end of Rehoboth Beach.
Sand pumping operations by the project contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company will coincide with planned temporary closures of sections of the beach to ensure public safety. The first closure area is near the Deauville Beach parking lot. Work on the beach nourishment project will continue south to Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach before moving to Dewey Beach for a second nourishment project teaming DNREC and the Corps of Engineers.
The Oak Brook, Ill.-based Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is operating on a contract managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which provided 65 percent of the project’s $7.2 million in funding. DNREC, as the non-federal partner for the project, provided 35 percent of the funds required for completing the nourishment project.
Contractor personnel have been moving equipment to the site during ongoing preparatory work the past few weeks. Rehoboth Beach’s beach closure areas will move south along with construction activity. Estimated completion for the nourishment project is 20 days in Rehoboth Beach followed by 25 days in Dewey Beach.
DNREC staff work closely with the Corps of Engineers on project oversight, participating in weekly project progress meetings, acting as liaison between the Corps and the municipalities where is occurring, and participate in inspections and acceptance of the project components upon completion.