Dewey still waiting for $1 million grant
Two temporary sump pumps were installed at the end of Read Avenue in Dewey Beach in late November 2025, intended to alleviate flooding and improve drainage until a $1 million pump station project can begin.
When both pumps are on and running, they can pump about 5,000 gallons of water an hour.
Each cost $120 and was paid for by the town’s maintenance department.
The installation comes as the town and Sen. Chris Coons’ office continue working to resolve an issue causing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withhold the $1 million federal grant that was previously approved and earmarked for the flood mitigation project on the street.
Town Manager Bill Zolper began working with Sen. Coons’ office in 2023 to obtain the grant, and the Army Corps approved it in 2024.
Then in December, Zolper was notified by Peter Gori of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District that the funds were being withheld.
Gori said he could not provide further details and declined to provide a written statement to the town. He did, however, say the town is not to blame for the issue, adding that funding is also being withheld for a separate project in Oak Orchard, a community located about 15 miles southwest of Dewey Beach.
Read more about the project and the withheld funding here: tinyurl.com/mpapyswx.
Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.
