One million dollars in federal funding for the Read Avenue pump station, a planned flood mitigation project in Dewey Beach, is currently on hold. Construction of the project will now be delayed, according to town leaders.
The project calls for the installation of a pump station on the bayside of Read Avenue to help with drainage, as well as limit pooling water on the road during heavy rain and high tides. The town of Dewey Beach is responsible for 25%, or about $330,000, of the project’s cost, while a grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was expected to cover the remaining $1 million.
Town leaders say the project was about to enter the design phase when they learned the federal funding was no longer available.
“I got a call saying the money was on hold," Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper said. "And I said, ' Why? And they said we can't give you a reason why. They just said the money is on hold, and if it gets free, they'll let me know.”
Zolper told WBOC that he also requested a written explanation from the agency, as well as a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers to attend a commissioner meeting to explain why the funding was on hold. Zolper said both of those requests were declined.
Flooding along Read Avenue has been a recurring problem for years, according to neighbors WBOC spoke with on Monday.
“There was one year where water completely surrounded my house, and it was probably like three feet deep," Dylan Spence said. "My car was actually damaged by it. It's definitely a pretty severe problem."
The town manager said the funding is still designated specifically for the Read Avenue project, and it cannot be used for anything else while it remains unavailable.
"When I talked to Senator Chris Coons' office this morning, they said the money can only be used for this. It can't be used for beach replenishment, and it can't be used on a project somewhere else. It can only be used in Dewey Beach," Zolper said.
Zolper said the Read Avenue project has been in the works for a few years, but that funding hurdle will delay construction.
“I'm very disappointed," Zolper said. "Senator Coons' office worked very hard to get this through appropriations and then to get President Biden to sign off on this bill. It was in the federal budget, it went to the Army Corps in Philadelphia, and we've been working with them ever since, so this was a really big surprise."
Town officials are urging Dewey Beach residents to contact their local representatives and ask for help making the funding available again. Resources on how to do so can be found on the town's website.
WBOC reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Sen. Chris Coons’ office for comment, but did not hear back from either as of the publication of this article.
