DNREC to Dredge Assawoman Canal and Complete White Creek Project to Improve Navigability on Sussex County Waterways

Assawoman Canal-White Creek dredging project map. /DNREC graphic

Beneficial Reuse Sediment From Dredging Will Help Restore Nearby Salt Marsh

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that two vital dredging projects in southern Delaware are set to begin around the new year. Dredging is to start at the southern end of the Assawoman Canal, and when the canal portion is completed (anticipated for early February 2024), DNREC-contracted dredge crews will move into White Creek resuming a project that is expected to finish by late winter or early spring.

DNREC aims to improve navigability on the two important waterways northwest of Bethany Beach in Sussex County. Dredging on both White Creek and the Assawoman Canal began in early 2023 but was paused for environmental restrictions. Dredged sediment from both projects will be used to restore an area of degraded salt marsh at DNREC’s Assawoman Wildlife Area.

The projects to be undertaken by DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section and the contractor McLean Contracting Company of Glen Burnie, Md. will remove approximately 80,000 cubic yards of shoaled sediment from the two waterways. The dredging work will restore White Creek and the Assawoman Canal to previous depths for safer boating and recreational use.

Funding for the $8.48 million project comes from appropriations to DNREC in the fiscal year 2022 and 2023 Bond Bills and the Waterway Management Fund. Both bills cited White Creek and the Assawoman Canal as dredging priorities.

White Creek flows from the south to the north into Indian River Bay, connecting the Assawoman Canal to the Bay, while serving numerous marinas and boat ramps for recreational activities. The White Creek navigation channel was last dredged by DNREC as part of a phased program from 1997 through 2001. The Assawoman Canal was most recently dredged from 2010 to 2015. The eastern and western prongs of White Creek and the confluence of the Assawoman Canal were last dredged in early 2023.

Based on surveys of residents and recreational users of the waterway and analysis of channel depth, boater safety and environmental issues, DNREC identified White Creek and the Assawoman Canal as two of the top priorities for navigation improvements.

For White Creek, an area 60 feet wide and 12,400 feet long is to be dredged – from the mouth of the creek, at Indian River Bay, to where the main channel splits into two prongs near Betts Avenue, in Ocean View. The eastern prong of White Creek was dredged 2,650 feet last spring before the projected paused, while the western prong was dredged 4,100 linear feet before the environmental window closed on the project in 2023.

For the Assawoman Canal, an area 35 feet wide and 2,400 feet long had been dredged, between its confluence with White Creek and the Central Avenue bridge, earlier in 2023.The remainder of the canal will be dredged with a channel width of 35 feet.
The White Creek channel will be restored to a depth of 4 feet below mean lower low water (MLLW). The northern Assawoman Canal will be restored to a depth of 3 feet below MLLW.

DNREC will make beneficial use of the dredged material to restore historically degraded wetlands in the Muddy Neck Marsh complex, located at the south end of the Assawoman canal – and will apply dredged material by the thin layer placement method, which minimizes marsh disturbance and restores the marsh through natural recolonization of vegetation. The beneficial use of dredged material also will improve the resilience of the marsh in future coastal storms while helping coastal wetlands adapt to sea level rise and other environmental stressors.

Tree trimming of overhanging limbs and removal of woody debris along the Assawoman Canal began prior to start of dredging. The canal’s main channel will be dredged beginning in late January, and permit conditions with environmental restrictions require the dredging to be completed by the end of February in White Creek and by March 31 for the Assawoman Canal to minimize impacts to hibernating diamondback terrapins.

The U.S. Coast Guard will issue a Local Notice to Mariners advisory for boaters to exercise caution on the waterways and to maintain safe distance from the dredging activity. Floating and submerged pipelines will be positioned in White Creek and the Assawoman Canal dredge and support vessels will be operating in the same areas over the course of the project.

The Coast Guard also recommends removing commercial fishing nets, crab pots and other structures from the dredging area.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Contractor’s Long-Delayed Start Leads to Pause in DNREC’s White Creek Dredging Project for Environmental Restrictions

Priority Project Must Now Wait Until Fall Before Dredging Can Resume

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that, due to contractor delay, the White Creek priority dredging project in Sussex County will not be completed this season. The project was initially scheduled for completion March 31 to comply with existing seasonal dredging restrictions established to protect wildlife and natural resources. Although dredging was scheduled to begin in early 2023 to avoid any conflict with these environmental restrictions, the project contractor delayed the start of dredging for more than four weeks, pushing the completion date beyond the scheduled deadline. Accordingly, dredging will proceed until the March 31 cutoff and then resume in the fall.

“All dredging permits require that this Department work within windows that are protective of marine wildlife, and adhering to and abiding by those restrictions is incumbent upon us as a natural resource and environmental agency,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “But let me be clear: DNREC would not be bringing this project to a halt for at least the next six months had the contractor not failed to get it under way in time to complete it. DNREC is not in this position for lack of a timetable being written into the contract, or for lack of our following up with the contractor to let them know that they were not meeting contractual obligations.”

Secretary Garvin also said DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section is working to develop a solution that will enable DNREC to complete as much of the project as possible before the March 31 cutoff, while reiterating that the restrictions are in place to ensure the continued enjoyment of outdoor recreation and natural resources by current and future generations of Delawareans and the state’s coastal visitors.

The White Creek dredging project encompasses a portion of the Assawoman Canal. Both waterways have been at the top of DNREC’s prioritized list for dredging since 2020, when the maintenance dredging of a third Sussex waterway, Massey’s Ditch, was completed. After DNREC’s announcement of the project last December, Sussex County Council approved a cooperative agreement with DNREC to contribute $1 million toward the $4.685 million cost of the White Creek project, with the remainder to be paid by the State of Delaware and DNREC.

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife places certain environmental restrictions on the State’s waterways to ensure the continued enjoyment of outdoor recreation and natural resources by current and future generations of Delawareans and the State’s coastal visitors. As a result, dredging projects may not be performed during certain windows of wildlife activity in the waterways, and the project contractor was made aware of this at the time of bidding. A section of the Assawoman Canal – 1,200 linear feet – was dredged before the February 28 cutoff in that waterway for environmental restrictions, as was a high-traffic boating area where White Creek meets the Assawoman Canal. Boaters are advised to continue to exercise caution in the area because shoals may shift during the summer boating season, DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Section administrator Jesse Hayden said. On March 1, the contractor moved their equipment to the western prong of White Creek, to be followed by dredging of the waterway’s eastern prong, with both expected to be completed by the March 31 environmental restriction deadline for White Creek.

Hayden noted the delayed start to the project means that a span of White Creek will not be improved by maintenance dredging for the coming recreational boating season. He said DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section will share updated channel depth data (for informational purposes only, not to be used for navigation) after the dredging project pauses at de.gov/whitecreek.

“DNREC reminds all boaters to exercise caution and to keep boating safety in mind for themselves and others when using any waterway with shallow depths, including the unimproved span of White Creek,” Hayden said.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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DNREC Set to Begin White Creek Dredging Project

DNREC is soon to begin a $4.685 million priority dredging project for White Creek (pictured above) and the Assawoman Canal to make both waterways in Sussex County more navigable. /DNREC photo

 

Beneficial Reuse Sediment from Dredging Will Help Restore Nearby Assawoman Wildlife Area Salt Marsh

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that dredging is expected to begin just after the New Year on the main channel of White Creek and a short stretch of Assawoman Canal to improve navigability on the two waterways northwest of Bethany Beach in Sussex County. Dredged sediment from the project will be used to restore an area of degraded salt marsh at DNREC’s Assawoman Wildlife Area. The $4.685 million project is funded largely from appropriations to DNREC in the fiscal year 2022 and FY23 budgets.

The project to be undertaken by DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section and the contractor ResilientSeas, LLC will remove between 55,000 and 70,000 cubic yards of shoaled sediment. The work will restore the main White Creek navigation channel and the confluence of the Assawoman Canal to previous depths for safer boating and recreational use of both waterways.

DNREC identified White Creek and the Assawoman Canal as two of the top priorities for navigation improvements, based on surveys of residents and recreational users of the waterways, along with analysis of channel depth, boater safety and environmental issues. The White Creek navigation channel was last dredged as part of a phased program from 1997 through 2001. The Assawoman Canal was most recently dredged from 2010 to 2015.

Removal of derelict crab pots and other marine debris from the project area is expected to begin this month. Placement of the pipeline for dredged material will start in early January 2023. Dredging of the main channel is expected to begin in late January. Permit conditions require the dredging project to be completed by the end of March to minimize impacts to hibernating terrapins.

The U.S. Coast Guard will issue a Local Notice to Mariners advisory for boaters to exercise caution on both waterways and to maintain safe distance from the dredging activity. Floating and submerged pipelines will be positioned in White Creek, the Assawoman Canal and the eastern and western prongs of White Creek. Dredge and support vessels will be operating in the same areas over the course of the project.

The Coast Guard also recommends removing commercial fishing nets, crab pots and other structures from the dredging area.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov


DNREC Completes Murderkill Channel Dredging, Takes Momentum Into Fall for More Navigability Projects

A bulldozer spreads beneficially-reused sand from DNREC’s Murderkill River emergency dredging project on South Bowers beach on Aug. 11 while the DNREC contractor’s dredge in background continues to clear the navigation channel.

 

 

An emergency dredging project to restore navigability in the Murderkill River was completed ahead of schedule, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today – with momentum from the $2.3 million project expected to carry over into fall on additional dredging work by DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section that includes another navigability restoration challenge on White Creek in Sussex County.

The $2.3 million Murderkill project dredged more than 52,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river’s navigation channel, with DNREC making beneficial reuse of the dredged material to nourish close to a quarter-mile of eroding shoreline at South Bowers Beach. Not only was this accomplished during a continuous two-week dredging effort, but an additional 200 feet of sandy material was located in the Murderkill channel by DNREC’s contractor, Cottrell Contracting Company – which meant more volume could be pumped ashore to South Bowers for enhancing the town’s resiliency to coastal storms. That aspect of the project was not to be understated with the additional sand extending an area of an earlier beach nourishment project that also used dredged sand to bolster the shoreline as a vital defense of the coastal community against extreme weather.

Starting Aug. 2, DNREC’s contractor worked 24/7 on the project – with the dredge clearing the Murderkill navigation channel by mid-August as verified by surveys collected by a third party. Cottrell Contracting also monitored the dredging work for turbidity throughout the project to ensure compliance with water quality rules and regulations.

The project – which the contractor originally estimated for a 19-day work duration, based on an average rate of production – beat that estimate to the finish line by six days, in large part due to favorable weather conditions throughout. While the weather all but fully cooperated, Cottrell Contracting still had to dredge and pump sand ashore through a tide range about as large as it gets on Delaware Bay, with almost 7 feet of difference between high and low tides on some days. Within a span of two weeks, the Murderkill River – a federally-authorized navigation project that requires periodic dredging to maintain the safety of and navigable access to the river – had the open channel critically important to commercial and emergency vessels as well as recreational boating.

“DNREC’s Waterway Management Program is pleased with the completion and outcome of the Murderkill project, as well as the Delaware City Mooring Basin dredging project, which also was completed near the end of August,” said DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section administrator Jesse Hayden. “We aim to keep momentum going from these two important dredging projects by today publishing a bid opportunity for dredging at White Creek, and as we continue the engineering phase of several other waterway projects to be undertaken by DNREC in the near future.”

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov or  Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov


DNREC Set to Begin Emergency Dredging Project Restoring Navigability in the Murderkill River

The Murderkill River, shown here where it meets the Delaware Bay at Bowers, will be dredged in August to improve navigation for commercial and recreational vessels. DNREC photo.

 

An emergency dredging project is set to begin and be completed by the end of August to restore navigability in the Murderkill River, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Permitted by and with modification approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DNREC regulators, the project calls for removing approximately 52,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river’s navigation channel. DNREC will then make beneficial reuse of the dredged sand to nourish up to 1,000 feet of eroding shoreline at South Bowers Beach.

Funding for the $2.3 million project comes from appropriations to DNREC made under fiscal year 2022 and 2023 Bond Bills, both of which named the Murderkill River as a dredging priority.

“This important state-funded dredging project in the Murderkill River will restore navigability of the channel while bolstering shoreline resiliency in South Bowers,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “It’s a win-win in two critical DNREC areas of responsibility: navigable waterways and infrastructure support. Thanks to our partners – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the town of Bowers and the South Bowers Volunteer Fire Company – for working with us to bring a much-needed dredging project to fruition.”

U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure this project could begin.

“After working to secure the necessary federal permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, I’m so glad that this project will now be able to begin and restore the Murderkill River to its full potential,” said Senator Carper. “In the Senate, I’m leading the effort to pass bipartisan legislation that would support navigability in our waters for years to come. Enacting this legislation will ensure towns across our state can better access the help they need to maintain their infrastructure.”

The Murderkill River is a federally-authorized navigation project that requires periodic dredging to maintain the safety and navigable access to the river, critically important to commercial and emergency vessels as well as recreational boating. The river forms the southern boundary of the Town of Bowers – a popular boating area with its docks, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife-owned boat launch and large parking area – before flowing into the Delaware Bay.

In early 2022, DNREC removed sand from the Murderkill Inlet’s navigation channel but was limited by having to use a land-based excavator, and navigation continued to be challenge at low tide, especially in the mile-long approach channel to the Inlet. Nautical dredging equipment to be deployed next month will deepen the channel. An onshore staging area, made possible through a temporary construction easement agreement between DNREC and the South Bowers Volunteer Fire Company, will help facilitate the project. Dredging will be carried out by Cottrell Contracting Corp. of Chesapeake, Va., with almost a century-long record of Eastern Seaboard infrastructure dredging.

“Nourishing the South Bowers shoreline is a vitally important defense of the coastal community against extreme weather, an impact of climate change,” said Jesse Hayden, DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section administrator. “The beach-quality sand from this latest dredging project will be used to extend the area of an earlier beach replenishment project that also utilized dredged sand from the Murderkill’s navigation channel.”

With the project expected to start on or about Aug. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard soon will give notice for mariners to exercise caution and maintain safe distance from the dredging activity – to include floating and submerged pipelines in the Murderkill, and the dredge and support vessels in the area. The USCG also advises that commercial fishing nets, crab pots and other structures removed from the dredging area before work begins.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov