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Bethany Beach committee reviews FEMA design grant for dam, inlet pumping and beach replenishment plans
Summary
Town staff told the Stormwater and Flood Committee that the town has a nearly $400,000 FEMA design grant for a proposed bladd er/mechanical dam to reduce nuisance flooding, that a bridge-mounted pump is again moving sand at the inlet, and that DNREC and federal funding efforts continue for beach replenishment and shoreline public-access planning.
Town Manager Cliff Gravier and committee members updated the Stormwater and Flood Committee on several ongoing resilience projects and permitting steps for Bethany Beach.
Gravier described a multi-decade engineering review of a mechanical/flap ("bladder") dam at the confluence of the loop canal and Asman (loop) that earlier studies suggested could substantially reduce nuisance tidal flooding. He said the town applied for and was awarded a FEMA design and engineering grant of nearly $400,000 in March 2026 to fund design work, but staff must seek a grant-extension to complete permitting and engineering because the current grant completion deadline is August 2026.
"We were awarded the grant," Gravier said, adding that the town's engineers will begin permitting work once the grant extension is secured and funding is available for the firms doing the applications.
Gravier described earlier U.S. Army Corps of Engineers analyses and subsequent 2D/3D modeling that reduced earlier concerns about downstream impacts; he said a three-foot-high dam was projected to address more than 95% of nuisance flooding without flooding neighboring communities, though permitting and environmental reviews are required.
On coastal sand management, staff said the inlet bridge's sand-pumping system is operational again after repair and that a contracted operator is repositioning sand from the inlet's south side to the north, with bulldozers shaping deposits to help sand settle. Committee members said the Corps previously allocated about $8 million for north-side rebuilding and that federal representatives secured $10 million in FY2026 appropriations for Delaware coastal replenishment; DNREC has sought an additional $30 million for FY2027 for replenishment across Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany-area beaches.
Town staff also reported a recently completed retaining wall on the Lake Bethany land spit (north side) and plans for a living retaining wall (bio-log/organic composite) on the south side pending DNREC permitting. Penoni Engineering is completing a drainage study for the far-west quadrant of Bethany West; preliminary findings indicate many closed driveway pipes are undersized despite open swales and culverts handling 2- and 10-year events.
Officials acknowledged permitting is often the slowest step, citing 401 water-quality certifications and endangered-species reviews. Staff said the town will post ongoing project timelines and updates on a revamped website expected to be operational in June and that regular updates also appear at monthly council meetings.
No formal committee vote was taken on project approvals at the meeting; staff said engineers and the mayor will seek the required permits and return with public updates as permitting progresses.
