MILLSBORO, Del. -- Neighbors that live and boat in the Indian River near Millsboro are frustrated after dealing with another summer of several boats getting stuck in the mud.
In a statement to WBOC on Friday, DNREC confirmed that plans are coming together to begin dredging the river soon.
"There is widespread sedimentation over a section of the Indian River near Millsboro," says DNREC Media relations manager Michael Globetti. "The DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section is working toward plans for a small-scale dredging project there within the next year and for a larger-scale dredging project at that section of the river more than a year from now."
Currently, neighbors say there are times when several boats get stuck in the mud at once.
"On weekends, and especially long weekends, we might see two or three boats a day, stuck," says James Phillip, who lives in the Hunter's Pointe neighborhood on the river. "I'm concerned about informing people that don't live here who are unfamiliar with the water way here, if they want to come up here they can, but they need to talk to somebody that knows how to navigate through."
"Going into a low tide, you could be trapped for six, seven, eight hours," says Catherine Fridell, who has lived on the river's edge and boated there for 18 years. "They should care about people coming in the park and having no idea what they're getting into."
Both Phillipe and Fridell say it's been at least four years since they remember the river being dredged.
DNREC did not share any specific dates on when the next dredging project will begin or end.
