Carper visits Rehoboth Beach

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper took a tour of Delaware’s beaches as part of a tour with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James to show the effects of shore protection on the economy.

James, a native of Missouri with a cowboy drawl, was on his first visit to Delaware, where Carper’s tour took him to Rehoboth and Bethany Beach. Along on the tour were James, Carper, Rehoboth Mayor Paul Kuhns, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin and Tony Pratt, DNREC’s director of shoreline and waterways.

Pratt told James about the history of beach replenishment in Rehoboth, dating back to the first renourishment project in 2005. He said the wide beaches with the dunes have helped protect beaches like Rehoboth and Bethany from nor’easters, like the one on March 21. Pratt said Delaware has a lot of storms around this time of year, and while Rehoboth lost some sand - DNREC does not have an official tally yet - the dunes are still intact. The sand will eventually come back over the next few months as the sand is pushed back on shore, Pratt said.

Pratt said prior to beach replenishment in 2005, the economic vitality of Delaware’s shoreline, and stores and restaurants along the Rehoboth and Bethany boardwalks, was threatened by storm damage.

Beach renourishment in Delaware is funded 65 percent by the federal government and 35 percent by the state. Carper said funding is always a challenge, but Delaware has a pretty good case to see it continue. He said the cost of one hotel destroyed by a storm equals roughly the cost of an entire beach replenishment.

“We think it’s a very good benefit,” Carper said.