DEWEY BEACH, DE — Dewey Beach officials met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday to survey the town's persistent flooding issues and discuss plans to install a pump station with federal funding. The pump station, planned for Read Avenue, aims to mitigate flooding that frequently disrupts the area, particularly on Route 1.
Town Manager Bill Zolper emphasized the importance of the project, noting that the flooding not only affects residents directly on Read Avenue but also hampers emergency response efforts when Route 1 is impassable.
“When Route 1 is shut down, emergency equipment has to go all the way around 34 to 113, to 26 to get to Bethany Beach. So, it would be a huge help to get that water off Route 1,” Zolper said.
The project is backed by a $1 million federal grant secured by Sen. Chris Coons’ office. Zolper compared the proposed pump station to an existing one on Bayard Avenue, which has been successful in reducing flooding in that area.
“All the water for about eight blocks on this end of Dewey Beach runs down this street during rainstorms and gets pumped into the bay. This has worked very well for us. It's got two pumps—a backup and a primary. This is what we want to do on Read but on a much smaller level,” Zolper explained.
The exact timeline for the new pump station's construction is still uncertain, as discussions have just begun. Zolper estimates that the process will take around two years.