Silver Lake stormwater outfall set to be refurbished

The Sussex Conservation District is overseeing a project to rehabilitate the stormwater outfall pipe for Silver Lake.

Sussex Conservation District Coordinator David Baird said the pipe, which helps regulate water height in the lake, is located in a small strip of unincorporated oceanfront land between Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach. The pipe is showing signs of failure, which can lead to the formation of sinkholes, he said.

The conservation district issued an advertisement for bids a few weeks ago. According to the notice, the project location is Sand Dune Drive and involves providing a cure-in-place pipe liner for the lake’s 30-inch-diameter outfall pipe from the lake’s outfall structure, located under a gazebo at the intersection of Sand Dune and East Lake drives, to a manhole about 225 feet away. Bids were due no later than Oct. 31.

Rehoboth Beach used a similar method of pipe lining a couple of years ago when it rehabilitated stormwater pipes in the Delaware Avenue area of town.

Baird said one company submitted a bid – Standard Pipe Services out of New Castle County. It’s a pretty specialized service, he said.

The conservation district is reviewing the bid and expects work to begin in early 2023, said Baird. The plan would be to get workers out of there before Rehoboth starts getting busy again, he said.

The advertisement for bids says work is not permitted between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The expected lifespan for the rehabilitated pipe is 15 to 20 years; however, Baird said it will basically be a plastic pipe when the project is done, so it could last longer than that.

The project does not include lining the section of the stormwater pipe that runs under the sand dune. The integrity of that section of pipe seems to be OK, Baird said.

The project has a budget of $155,000.