This letter was sent to the wetlands office of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
My wife and I are avid walkers in Sussex County. This past June we were walking on the trail behind Five Points in Lewes that borders the concrete company on Old Orchard Road.
While walking we noticed a large section (75-100 acres) of wetlands behind the concrete company and between the rear of Five Points and New Road. There was significant dumping of construction refuse and soil on this property.
I am not familiar with the wetlands preservation rules for Delaware. I know you cannot build, dump, or fill for building purposes on wetlands in most states. I spoke with Ernie Lopez’s assistant who referred me to the state’s Wetlands Preservation Office in DNREC. The Wetlands Preservation Office sent me to their dispatcher who said she would pass my question on to the enforcement section. I received a call from a curt enforcement officer who said he was familiar with this piece of property. He would check it and call me back.
I never received a callback or clarification on wetlands from the wetlands or DNREC offices. Four months later we were walking the Five Points trail and observed a contractor filling in the wetlands with soil and setting up markers for building homes.
My questions are: Is this property a wetlands or not? If so, is this permitted? Has the property been vetted by the State of Delaware and Sussex County? I would appreciate a clarification. Thank you.
Nick De Cerchio
Lewes
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
