Delaware Coast from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach/South Bethany, DE

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: DE-AL

APPROPRIATION / PHASE: Construction, General

BUSINESS PROGRAM: Flood and Coastal Storm Damage Reduction

AUTHORITY: Senate Committee Resolution, 23 June 1988. Project authorized for construction by Title I, Section 101 (a) (15) of WRDA ’99.

LOCATION: The towns of Bethany Beach and South Bethany are communities along the Atlantic Ocean Coast of Delaware, in Sussex County.

DESCRIPTION: The Bethany Beach/South Bethany project area extends along approximately 2 miles of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Delaware in Sussex County, Delaware. The plan proposed in the final feasibility report for the purpose of flood and coastal storm damage reduction consists of a sand fill beach and dune project, in two independent discontinuous segments, for both Bethany Beach and South Bethany. The project includes a 150-foot wide berm with an elevation of +7.0 feet NAVD, and a dune with an elevation of +16.0 feet NAVD over a total project length of 14,950 feet (2.8 miles). The recommended project consists of providing 3.5 million cubic yards initial beach fill, with subsequent nourishment of 480,000 cubic yards every three years. The plan includes dune grass, dune fencing, and suitable advance beach fill and periodic nourishment every three years to ensure the integrity of the design.

STATUS: Initial construction was completed in June 2008. The project has been repaired/renourished multiple times since the initial construction.