Replenishment calls for 3,200 truckloads of sand

Delaware beaches are getting much needed nourishment to prepare for possible storms and sea level rise sparked by climate change.

According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, small-scale beach nourishment projects are underway at four Delaware Bay communities that include Slaughter, Bowers, Kitts Hummock and Pickering Beach.

The $1.4 million project will add approximately 75,000 tons of sand across all four communities, which will require over 3,200 truckloads.

According to Michael Globetti, media relations manager for DNREC, the goal of these small-scale projects is to mitigate beach and dune erosion that has occurred over time, and was worsened by coastal storms in October.

“Erosion was widespread along the Delaware Bay shoreline following the series of coastal storms in late 2021,” Globetti said in a statement. “The current beach nourishment project is focused on reconstructing small dunes in those areas left most vulnerable by those storms.”