SEAFORD, Del.- Some people in the Seaford area say they are concerned about environmental repercussions from dredging the Nanticoke River, a project that's been in the works for years. The Nanticoke River was last dredged in 1990, and in some places is now only 9-feet-deep.
Delaware lawmakers announced on Wednesday that nearly $1.9 million had been secured for the dredging. Lawmakers say returning the river channel to 12 feet will create jobs and help spur the economy in western Sussex County. The spoils from the project will be deposited at the former Woodland Golf Park, which the county bought in 2010.
Bunnie Williams lives down the road from the deposit site.
"It's pristine, I don't want to see it spoiled," Williams said. "I'm very concerned about the aquifer. What is going to happen if all of [the spoils] leach down through the soil?"
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will handle the Nanticoke River project. One representative said they tested the material to be dredged in 2002 and in 2006, and that they are reviewing the results with the state. The representative said complying with federal environmental rules is a priority.
Sussex County officials said this fall is the earliest dredging would start.
