Share: 

Sen. Hocker seeks support for dredging

November 9, 2017

The following letter was sent to senators Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Rep. Blunt Rochester with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.

I am writing in support of the letter you recently received from the Mayor of South Bethany, Pat Voveris, on behalf of several members of the Association of Coastal Towns. In the correspondence, Mayor Voveris discussed the imperative need for the dredging of our state's recreational waterways. Personally, I have heard from numerous individuals - many of whom are boaters - who have experienced difficulty and even the inability to navigate our waterways due to severe sediment build up. Some have commented that they may need to relocate their households in order to utilize their marine equipment. While the recreational needs impact thousands of registered boaters in our state, we must also consider the effect on our economy, businesses, and environment. Without the ability to navigate our waterways, boating sales and suppliers, marinas and locally sourced seafood restaurants will not survive. Beyond economics, though, is the very cleanliness of our water. The maintenance of our waterways through dredging is necessary in order to make our bays clean. I am currently scheduling a meeting with Gov. John Carney and DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin to discuss this concern in further detail. Your assistance in bringing attention and funding to this dire matter is respectfully requested, as this situation is only worsening. I look forward to working with you as we address the needs of Delaware's waterways.

Sen. Gerald Hocker
20th Senatorial District

  • 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 viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.