Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed sand replenishment efforts in Rehoboth Beach.
Contractor Weeks Marine finished dredging sand from offshore and piping it onto Rehoboth shores Thursday. Work began in Dewey Beach that evening, according to Corps of Engineers spokesman Stephen Rochette.
Dewey is likely to be finished later this month or in early June, Rochette said, while work in Fenwick Island continues and is slated for completion in early to mid-June. Dredging in Bethany Beach and South Bethany is estimated to begin in early June and finish up by the end of the month.
No Delaware beaches will be closed to due dredging this Memorial Day weekend. Weeks Marine will shut down operations Friday and begin work again Monday evening.
Dredging began in April in Rehoboth Beach, with plans to move south down the coast. That meant Delaware beach towns like Fenwick Island and South Bethany could’ve had parts of their beaches closed in July, during peak tourist season.
However, earlier this month, the Corps of Engineers announced the arrival of another dredger. That ship started work in Fenwick Island and will move north, moving the total completion date up to the end of June.
More details are available here.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught
