DEWEY BEACH, DE -- Residents living on Read Avenue in Dewey Beach could soon be relieved from persistent flooding issues. The Dewey Beach Town Council unanimously approved a flood mitigation project Friday night.
Read Avenue resident, Phil Winkler, describes the flooding situation as a recurrent issue, exacerbated during rainstorms.
"If you couple the high tide with a rain storm, the flooding just gets even worse," says Winkler. "Because of all the water that flows this way, Read Avenue is draining 28 acres of property in Dewey Beach."
Roger Mallet, another resident living perpendicular to Read Avenue, says flooding can sometimes get so bad that water seeps into his home.
"If we get a severe storm, I'm afraid a lot of properties will be severely impacted," says Mallet.
In response to these challenges, the Dewey Beach Town recently commissioned two engineering firms to conduct a study aimed at presenting viable options to mitigate flooding in the area.
Bill Zolper, the Town Manager of Dewey Beach, says the Dewey Beach Infrastructure Committee recommended a solution involving the installation of flaps or valves at the ends of three stormwater pipes leading into the bay.
Winkler, who serves on the Infrastructure Committee, explains that these flaps are designed to prevent water from backflowing onto the street. However, he says the potential obstacle of sand and debris hindering the valves' effectiveness.
Winkler says, "The engineers are fully aware of it and they think that they can prevent the sand from coming in by building dams, essentially coffer dams out there that allow water to come in, but not sand, so we'll see."