Delaware to Invest $15M in Coastal Resilience

Using $15 million in state funds, Delaware will undertake a plan to reinforce its shorelines and prevent damage to coastal infrastructure.

As Ronnell Foreman explains in a piece for WMDT, the lowest-lying state in the nation has been experiencing stronger and more frequent storms that are contributing to coastal erosion and flooding.

Although the state has been allocated $10 million by the federal government, according to Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, “We can’t wait until the federal money is ready which is why the governor, leadership, and support from the general assembly has up to 15 million dollars in place for us to move forward with a state-funded, state-led project.”

Garvin added, “Not only are we worried about protecting the infrastructure of the roads but to continue to provide the recreational opportunities that make people want to come and vacation here and invest their dollars into our economy.”

A WHYY article by Sarah Mueller adds some details, noting that the project will focus on the Indian River Inlet, which protect the Coastal Highway and have required emergency repair twice in the last few months. More frequent flooding threatens the integrity of the highway as well as the inlet bridge, whose closure would require a 45-minute detour. The project, a collaboration between Delaware and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, includes work on a sand bypass system and the fortification and renourishment of dunes on the north side of the inlet.