INDIAN RIVER INLET, DE - At a press conference Friday morning, officials from DNREC and the Army Corps of Engineers detailed their multi-phase plan for emergency repairs at the Indian River Inlet.
Future Repairs for the Indian River Inlet
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin told WBOC that, in addition to the current crews working on dune repairs, DNREC and the Army Corps of Engineers are preparing to work on the next phases of emergency repairs.
According to Secretary Garvin, the first phase of repairs will be led by the state, and funded by $14.5 million dollars in state funding.
The secretary said that this first phase will involve dredging the inlet, repairing the sand by-pass system, and getting as much sand on the North shore as possible.
"Build up the dune. Build up the shore," Garvin said. "We're gonna do as much of that under the first phase. The idea is that we've been working seamlessly with the army corps, and we kinda turn it over to a partnership project with them."
Secretary Garvin said that the Army Corps of Engineers will utilize the $10 million dollars in federal funding granted for emergency repairs to carry out a second phase.
Philadelphia District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers Jeffrey Beeman said that 800,000 cubic yards of sand are needed for emergency repairs across the board.
Beeman said that they will continue the work of DNREC's crews in the second phase. They also have plans to redesign and repair the North jetty, which the district commander said will limit sand depletion in the future.
"This is one of the most complex and dynamic inlets in the entire country," Beeman said. "We are all trying to understand the complexities as best we can in order to get the engineering right, so that we have the best long-term solution."
DNREC leaders estimate that the dredging will begin in Mid-November, and that the sand by-pass system will be functional again in December. However, they say the by-pass system won't be utilized until after the additional inlet repair projects are completed.
Officials from the Army Corps of Engineers said that they estimate their work to begin sometime next February.
Possible Funding Updates
The federal and state funded projects, $10 million and $14.5 million respectively, currently have a 40-60 match, according to state officials.
However, state officials say that, if the Water Resources of Development Act of 2024 passes through Congress, the State of Delaware could see an 80-20 match in Delaware's favor.
According to state officials, they are hopeful that the act will pass later this year.
