Despite winds, progress made in Dewey’s replenishment

A strong easterly wind may have kept most people off the beach this past week, but Weeks Marine was still out there plugging away at beach replenishment in Dewey Beach.

Work in Dewey began May 18, but was shut down for about 72 hours for Memorial Day weekend. Dewey is slated to receive about 200,000 cubic yards of sand. 

In an email June 1, Steve Rochette, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District spokesperson, said the contractor’s dredge Magdalen is currently in Lewes undergoing pump repairs and should return to Dewey soon. Work in Dewey is still estimated for completion late this week or early next, he said.

Rehoboth Beach has already been the recipient of roughly 300,000 cubic yards. Weeks finished work in Rehoboth immediately before beginning in Dewey, but a crew has remained on site repairing stormwater outfalls at Maryland and Virginia avenues. As of June 1, the crew was still out there. Work is expected to begin soon on the installation of about 4,850 linear feet of dune fencing in Rehoboth.

As for replenishment work south of the Indian River Inlet, Rochette said the dredge for Fenwick Island, which is slated to receive about 207,000 cubic yards of sand, is also in Lewes and preparing to begin work. Work at Fenwick is estimated for completion in mid-June.

Bethany Beach and South Bethany, each expected to receive about 320,000 cubic yards of sand, have an estimated completion time frame of late June, said Rochette.