LEWES, DE -- Lewes' City Council is set to discuss options for protecting the shoreline of Blockhouse Pond from erosion at their upcoming meeting on Monday, March 10th.
Mike Goldberg told WBOC Thursday that he visits Blockhouse Pond, which sits inside the George H.P. Smith Park, at least once a week with his dogs. Goldberg says he's noticed the pond's edges getting steeper and more jagged on their walks.
"The pond here is great but the banks are rather steep," Goldberg said. "I think it would be a great idea to reinforce the banks here so it doesn't keep eroding. Make it a little more dog accessible for my sake."
Over the last several months, Parks and Marina Manager and Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves told WBOC that city leaders have noticed those same signs of erosion.
"We've had a very dry summer so the water level has gone down significantly," Reeves said. "So we could really get a good look at it. It was really shocking."
According to Reeves, the erosion comes from waves created by the wind repeatedly hitting the pond's shores. Reeves said city leaders are currently considering three main ideas on how to solve the problem.
The ideas include a bulkhead wall along the shoreline, rip rap placed along the pond's edges, and a living wall, a tarp of grass made to look natural and reinforce the shoreline.
Possible Solutions
"We can even do a hybrid of any of those three which is nice to have that option," Reeves said.
Reeves told WBOC Thursday that whichever design is selected will be a large-scale project.
"They do recommend that we do the project all at once and not in stages because if we repair one section, the wave action will just go to where it's open and it will continue to erode," Reeves said.
According to city officials, the project will help preserve the pond's stormwater management functions.
"I think we've gotten to the critical point now if the banks fail any further," Reeves said. "We have had a lot more runoff come into the pond since the elementary school and all of the athletic fields have been completed."
Lewes' city council is expected to discuss those three options at their upcoming meeting. Reeves said that, if a decision is made, a study will likely be needed before any of those designs are implemented.