Delaware News Briefs

2003 Coastal Cleanup Results

Delaware Pedestrian Master Plan Workshops

Agreement Reached for 50-Year Rehoboth and Dewey Beach Shoreline Protection Project to Reduce Storm Damage and Sustain Beach Tourism

Delaware Coastal Programs Awards over $200,000 in Grant Funding to Protect Coastal Resources

Brownfields Program

The results of Delaware’s 2003 Coastal Cleanup are in.  At least 1,135 volunteers participated in the 2003 Coastal Cleanup, held Saturday September 27, 2003.  More than 2,382 house of volunteer time were spent to clean up and protect the Delaware coastline and wildlife.  The data collected by the volunteers at the 35 sites from Fox Point State Park to Fenwick Island provides a snapshot of Delaware’s 97 miles of coastline and will be used to reduce and help eliminate trash and debris pollution.

Volunteers collected over 17,564 pounds of trash in 794 trash bags.  Strange finds included a wedding dress, a mailbox, eyeglasses, a fire extinguisher, a file cabinet, a kite, a lawnmower, and two music stands.  Volunteers also collected approximately 14,072 cigarettes/cigarette filters, less than half the amount collected in 2002!

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In January The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) hosted a public workshop to gauge public participation in Delaware’s Pedestrian Master Plan.  Pedestrian facilities are a local issue and the state needed input from local residents about this issue.  To get more information on the status and plans for pedestrian facilities, contact DelDOT at 1-800-652-5600.

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On December 19, 2003 state and federal officials signed an agreement that sets the stage for a 50 year shoreline protection plan that will improve 2.6 miles of Atlantic Coast shoreline from the northern end of Rehoboth Beach to the southern end of Dewey Beach.

The plan consists of one continuous beach with a dune.  The project calls for widening the beach and backing it by a dune, vehicle access ramps, dune walkovers, dune grass and fencing, and periodic replenishment every three years.  Total expenditures for this project, which will be cost shared with 65% federal funds and 35% non-federal funds, are estimated to be about $170 million and will initially add 1.4 million cubic yards of sand to the beaches.  7 million cubic yards of sand are expected to be needed over the 50 year lifespan of the project to maintain the design.   Initial estimated project costs are $15.9 million.

This project has been in feasibility and design stages for more than a decade.  With the signing of this agreement, the project can finally begin.  Work is expected to start in the fall of 2004.   Next steps include obtaining the necessary easements, negotiating a contract with a dredging company, and then moving forward with the beach fill operation.  Beginning as a Senate Committee Resolution in 1988, the project was authorized in 1996 and modified in 2000.

A Beach Replenishment Task Force commissioned an economic study in 1998 to determine the economic impacts of this project.  The Task Force report showed that without beach replenishment, tourism related revenues would decrease by more than $30.2 million in five years.  More than 625 beach area jobs would be lost, salaries and wages would be reduced by $1.6 million, and state and local revenues would be reduced by $2.3 million.

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The Delaware Coastal Programs office at DNREC’s Division of Soil and Water Conservation has announced over $200,000 in grant funding through two grant programs: Coastal Nonpoint Implementation Grants and Habitat and Natural Resource Planning, Management and Protection Assistance Grant Program. The funding was made available to the Delaware Coastal Programs by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ten Habitat and Natural Resource Planning, Management, and Protection grants were awarded to local governments and communities for the purpose of enhancing their ability to conserve, manage restore, or protect habitat and natural resources in their jurisdictions.   The program was extended to include planning for restoration or redevelopment of abandoned/vacant properties and brownfield sites.

The Coastal Nonpoint Program Implementation grants were awarded to support projects and activities that assist the implementation of the Delaware Coastal Nonpoint Program, which targets pollution prevention through seeking to limit nonpoint runoff from rainwater.  Management measures have been developed to prevent polluted runoff resulting from a variety of land-based sources such as agriculture, forestry, urban sources, marinas, and stream and channel modifications.  This funding was made available to any municipal, county, state agency, local college or university, environmental organization, or not-for profit organization for the purpose of implementing one of there management measures.

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Brownfields are industrial or commercial properties which have been abandoned or under utilized as a result of hazardous substance contamination.  While these properties have an enormous potential for economic development, they have failed to attract the private market because of the liability associated with the brownfields and the potential costs involved with their cleanup.

The Brownfields Redevelopment Program is a key component of Governor Minner’s “Livable Delaware” initiative, aimed at curbing sprawl by encouraging the use of land in existing developed areas. There have been several efforts in the past year to improve Delaware’s Brownfields Program including:

• Hiring a Brownfields Coordinator. Marcus Henry, formerly of the Delaware State Housing Authority, began as the Brownfields Coordinator with DNREC on January 20th.
  
• Award of a $1 million federal grant to help speed cleanups of brownfield sites.
  
• Development of a new simplified redevelopment process that emphasizes early community involvement.
  
• Passage of a bill last year to limit liability of developers who wish to clean up properties for reuse and whoa re otherwise not responsible for the contamination in the first place.
  
• Dedication of matching grant funds from the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) of up to $100,000 to cover the cost of environmental investigation and cleanup.
  
• DNREC grants and low interest loans to help offset site cleanup costs.
  
• A Blue Collar Job Creation and Capital Investment Tax Credit for Brownfields Redevelopment projects
  
• Development of a Brownfields Redevelopment Inventory through a cooperative project of NOAA and DNREC’s Division of Soil and Water Conservation, with the first step being a pilot project in south Wilmington, which was launched at a public workshop on February 20th.

You can click here for more information about brownfields.

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