SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Storms shifted the sand pumped into Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach during replenishment, but it will move back onto the beaches.
Some questioned if some of the 409,000 cubic yards of sand went back into the ocean after the project was completed. DNREC told WBOC that the storms might have moved the sand, but it will naturally return to the beach when the beaches have calmer weather.
"When you have the severe storms, you see sand wash off the beach into the near shore and when you have calmer weather, it begins to return to the beach," said Michael Powell, shoreline and waterway administrator of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The beach replenishment started in early November in Rehoboth Beach then moved down to Dewey Beach by late November. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funded 65 percent of the $7.21 million project. DNREC funded the remaining 35 percent.
Dewey Town Manager Scott Koenig explained the beach replenishment is routine for the town and happens every three years or so.
"It's a necessary component of maintenance for all of the beach community. So it's not the easiest thing to deal with when it's going on, but it's necessary for us to maintain the quality of our beaches," said Koenig.
If there is a major storm that creates significant damage to the beaches, there is a federal program that will provide repair assistance, according to DNREC.