Dewey Beach Enterprises looking to replenish bayside beach

Looking to maintain a wide, safe beach for continued public use, the operators of the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach have submitted an application to place 1,300 cubic yards of sand on the Rehoboth Bay beach behind the hotel.

“The beach has become a popular venue for Dewey Beach residents and visitors, and is used year-round for family recreation – the low waves and calm waters of the [Rehoboth] Bay are ideal for small children, dog-walking, weddings and similar social get-togethers,” the application from Dewey Beach Enterprises states.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a public notice Jan. 4 saying a Federal Consistency Certification has been submitted to the Delaware Coastal Management Program by DBE, a company based out of Newport, Del., to place 1,300 cubic yards of sand on the property’s bayside beach. The notice says beach-compatible sand would be sourced locally, trucked to the site, placed on the beach and graded to project specifications.

According to the application, which was provided by the state as part of the public notice online, sand will be placed on 23,250 square feet of beach to raise the height by 18 inches. The project is designed for a three-year period, says the application.

The application says this would be the fifth time this beach has been replenished since 2013 – 1,800 cubic yards in 2013; 400 cubic yards in 2015; 4,800 cubic yards in 2019; 1,000 cubic yards in 2022.

Bill Lower, DBE representative, said the company is responsible for the continued maintenance of the beach as part of DBE’s lease with DNREC. The renourishment of the beach every two years or so depends on the severity of winter storms that transport sand throughout Rehoboth Bay and its shorelines, he said.

DBE will evaluate the need for further renourishment in the coming years in continued consultation with DNREC and the town, said Lower.

This replenishment project would be the second slated for Dewey Beach this winter. The oceanside beach is slated to get about 194,000 cubic yards of sand, spread from Saulsbury Street south to Beach Avenue, as part of the federal and state government’s beach replenishment program.

Comments concerning the Federal Consistency Certification will be accepted until Friday, Feb. 3. Comments may be sent to: Delaware Coastal Programs, Kimberly Cole, Administrator, 100 W. Water Street, Suite 7B, Dover, DE, 19904, or electronically to DNREC_DCP_PublicComment@delaware.gov. For more information, 302-739-9283.