Beach Replenishment/Storm Damage Reduction Project

Purpose of the Project

• To provide coastal storm damage reduction and shoreline protection along 2.5 miles of ocean front from the northern end of Rehoboth Beach to the southern end of Dewey Beach.

Who is Involved?

• The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing project construction and providing 65% of the initial construction and periodic nourishment.

• The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is providing the balance of funds as the non-Federal sponsor.

• Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is performing the construction.

What Will it Cost?

• Initial project construction cost is approximated at $10,324,560, and the estimated cost of periodic nourishment per cycle (approximately every 3 years) is $4.0 million.

• Total estimated project cost for the beachfill and dune system is $118 million over the 50-year project life. This cost estimate includes initial construction costs, periodic nourishment, major rehabilitation, and project monitoring over 50 years.

Project Overview

• The project will cover a total length of 13,500 feet (2.5 miles).

• Project design: approximately 1.7 million cubic yards of sand will be pumped from an offshore borrow area to construct a beach and dune system.

• The source of sand for initial construction and subsequent periodic nourishment is a borrow area (Area G) located approximately 2.6 miles east of Indian River Inlet.

• Beach design: Rehoboth: 125-foot wide beach and 25 foot wide dune crest; Dewey: 150-foot wide beach and 25 foot wide dune crest

• Dune design: dunes will be built to an elevation 6-foot above the beach.

• Crossovers: pedestrian, handicap and maintenance vehicle will be constructed at designated locations.

• Sand fence will be installed and beach grass will be planted.

• Storm water outfall extensions will be constructed in Rehoboth Beach only (to be constructed by others).

Where and When Will it Happen?

• Initial construction began in February 2005

• Construction will start at the south end of Dewey Beach in the vicinity of Beach Avenue and proceed south to Indian Beach, then north to northern limits of Dewey Beach. Once Dewey is completed, the operation will move into Rehoboth Beach.

• To ensure public safety, 1000-foot segments of beach will be closed off as nourishment progresses, restricting public access to the active construction zone.

The initial pipe is now at Grenoble Place. Unlike prior beach replenishment which moved in only one direction north to south, a revised plan uses three onshore pipes instead of two, with one moving northward and one moving southward, and a third one to be placed during the final stage on the far south end of beach. Pumping will begin at the Grenoble Place pipe, where dozers will push the new sand to its proper elevation against the Boardwalk, then elevate it seaward to the surf line and then move southward.A second pipe will be placed next to the nearest groin at the end of Rehoboth Avenue and will move northward from that point. The replenishment will meet near Maryland Avenue. By mid-June, a third pipe will fill southward from the beach near Star of the Sea ending with the tapering at the south end.*Note: Source of some of the above verbiage is from Jim Cresson’s Cape Gazette article.

• Dual dredges will be used and two landfall sites will start the project in Dewey Beach

• First dredge to arrived in February; second dredge arrives in mid-March

• With use of 2nd dredge, completion by the end of May is expected

• Pumping runs south to north; pumping in Rehoboth is scheduled to begin in April/May with completion expected by end of May

• The City is working with the Chamber to seek a solution to the electric connections on the Boardwalk for Christmas displays and other future electrical needs

• Lighting for electrical needs for recreational use is also being addressed

• Foot showers will be on the east side of the Boardwalk with the possibility of one additional location being added

• Dune fencing at Boardwalk will be no higher than 2’

NOTE: Depending on the crest of the dune line, in some places there will be an even step off from the Boardwalk onto the dunes; at some places there will be a slight crest up (possibly 2’ higher than the Boardwalk) and at some places steps down. The dune line rolls back under the Boardwalk. Initial sand coverage will be altered by nature with a final result in approximately 6 - 9 months after completion.