DNREC applies for permit to dredge Silver Lake

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has applied for a permit to dredge 1,500 cubic yards of sediment from Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach.

DNREC Secretary David Small said there were no public comments or requests for a public hearing on the permit, putting the project on track to start in September and wrap up in October.

DNREC plans to use 1,500 cubic yards of dredged sediment to improve the shoreline and deepen the lake by two feet at its narrowest point and 6 to 18 inches near the Rehoboth Elementary School footbridge. DNREC officials say the project is estimated to cost $100,000 to $125,000.

DNREC will use a pontoon excavator – an amphibious excavator designed to work in shallow water – to dig out sediment. Biodegradable logs will line the lake bank near the Tot Lot to control erosion, and dredged sediment will be used to fill behind the logs. The bank will be landscaped with native plants to provide a vegetative buffer.

Dredging the western finger of the lake has been in the works for years, since advocates from Save Our Lakes Alliance3 brought the conditions of Silver Lake to the attention of DNREC officials when low, muddy conditions led to the area becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. DNREC first tried to dredge the lake five years ago, when the department proposed using a hydraulic dredge based on the Tot Lot to remove sediment buildup from the lake. DNREC officials said that plan was abandoned when it was determined the dredge would damage the Tot Lot and be unsightly for neighbors.

The department then proposed using the Rehoboth Elementary School as a staging area to pump sediment out of the lake in into Geotubes - large bags that hold sediment while slowly filtering out water - but bids for the project were far over budget. Another plan to use Geotubes - which were used by Henlopen Acres when that town dredged its marina - along the shoreline was also rejected for high costs. DNREC then came up with a plan to redistribute the sediment along the shoreline.

Besides dredging, Small said DNREC is continuing to work on an overall management plan for the lake, which the state claimed ownership of in 2013.

“There are many, many demands and not enough time, money and resources to get them done in a way people would like. But we stick with it and we are going to be able to get that done,” Small said. “We’re making progress.”