The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will provide an overview and updates on the White Creek maintenance dredging project in Sussex County during a public information session set for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. The project is now in the engineering phase. More information about the project and the link to join the public update session can be found at de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

Since White Creek was last dredged in the early 2000s, shoaling has increasingly impacted navigation in the waterway that connects Indian River Bay to the Assawoman Canal, and, ultimately, Little Assawoman Bay. DNREC’s second virtual public meeting on the project will provide a status update, information on the design concept, and the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section strategy to use dredged sediment to restore and enhance coastal wetland areas close to the waterway.

Meeting attendees can also provide comments and ask questions about the proposed project during the meeting. Questions may be submitted in advance using the online form for the project. Closed captioning services also will be provided during the meeting.

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; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

DNREC’s Augustine Beach Boat Ramp is undergoing maintenance dredging for the ramp’s access channel.

Periodic closures of the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp near Port Penn and adjacent intertidal beach located on the south side of the existing rock groin will continue through Nov. 11 due to weather conditions delaying completion of the maintenance dredging project for the boat ramp access channel, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

Over this time period, the boat ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. each Monday until 5 p.m. each Thursday, reopening from 5 p.m. each Thursday until 8 a.m. the following Monday. The site parking lot will remain open for the duration of the dredging project.

Weather permitting, the maintenance dredging project at the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp is expected to be completed, with full access restored, by Nov. 11.

Boaters who regularly use the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp can alternately use the Fort DuPont Boat Ramp, located approximately five miles north in Delaware City.

For more information, please call the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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“DNREC’s Augustine Beach Boat Ramp will be closed temporarily through Oct. 28 for completion of a channel dredging project.”

The Augustine Beach Boat Ramp near Port Penn and adjacent intertidal beach located on the south side of the existing rock groin will remain periodically closed through Oct. 28 to complete maintenance dredging of the boat ramp access channel, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Weather permitting for completion of the project, the ramp will reopen with full access on Oct. 29.

Until then, the boat ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. each Monday until 5 p.m. each Thursday, reopening from 5 p.m. each Thursday until 8 a.m. each Monday. The Augustine Beach Boat Ramp parking lot will remain open for the duration of the dredging project.

Boaters who regularly use the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp can alternately use the Fort DuPont Boat Ramp, located approximately five miles north in Delaware City.

For more information, please call the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. 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

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The Augustine Beach Boat Ramp near Port Penn and adjacent intertidal beach located on the south side of the existing rock groin will be periodically closed starting Thursday, Sept. 16 through Friday, Oct. 15 for maintenance dredging of the boat ramp access channel, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

During this time period, the boat ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. each Monday until 5 p.m. each Thursday, reopening from 5 p.m. each Thursday until 8 a.m. each Monday. The site parking lot will remain open for the duration of the dredging project.

Weather permitting, the project is expected to be complete, with full access restored, by Oct. 15.

Boaters who regularly use the Augustine Beach Boat Ramp can alternately use the Fort DuPont Boat Ramp, located approximately five miles north in Delaware City.

For more information, please call the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 65,000 acres of public land. 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

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Dr. C. Rhett Jackson

Increasing coastal resilience to sea level rise through natural infrastructure and dredge material is the topic of a free webinar at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Dr. C. Rhett Jackson of the University of Georgia, graduate coordinator for the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and a member of Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems and Network for Engineering with Nature.

Dr. Jackson, a John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources, will discuss how barrier islands and coastal communities of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, must adapt to survive due to sea level rise driven by global warming. His presentation will describe how these areas face increasing flood-related problems, issues with stormwater and sewer drainage systems, heavier damage during tropical storms, and significant loss of land area. In taking action on these issues, solutions have been developed including a mix of natural infrastructure projects, traditional infrastructure retrofits, and policy refinements. Jackson’s presentation will also touch on how beneficial use of dredge materials can help reduce overall costs of sea-level rise adaptation.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series presented by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a working group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline tactics within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program and the Delaware Coastal Training Program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

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