By Eleanor La Prade

INDIAN RIVER INLET — Dela­ware has secured as much as $30 million in federal funds to rebuild its beaches.

Gov. Jack Markell made the an­nouncement Tuesday morning in an office building at the Indian River Inlet Marina, where he was joined by the state’s U.S. congressional delega­tion and local elected officials.

The money, he said, will help re­store beaches to the condition they were in before Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast six months ago.

“We were lucky. We were spared the brunt of the devastation that our neighbors to the north experienced,” Gov. Markell said.

But the storm did flatten dunes and drive away sand, washing out roads and bridges. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Chris Becking recalled surveying Sandy’s damage in October.

“I was thinking to myself, I don’t know how we’re going to get all this done,” Lt. Col. Becking said. Now, he said, the state is “ very close to get­ting projects to actually repair and restore the state Delaware.”

With the federal funds, the Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin work next month to replenish Delaware beaches.

Projects include restoring lost sand and building a taller, wider dune on the north side of the Indian River Inlet, state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Con­trol Secretary Collin O’Mara said.

About 1.8 million cubic yards of sand, dredged from offshore bars, will be pumped back onto beaches from Lewes to Fenwick Island.

The Army Corps of Engineers will also fill the beach on the north side of the Indian River inlet, to protect the bridge and Del. 1 from flooding, building a dune that can be main­tained by the sand bypass system.

“I am so pleased that we are not only going to repair our beaches, but that the Corps is going to construct a truly protective beach and dune,” Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del. said. “It’s a smart investment to reduce potential losses and protect lives, homes, businesses and infrastruc­ture.”

Delaware’s coastal economy gen­erates about $7 billion a year and supports 59,000 jobs, according to a University of Delaware study re­leased last year.

“This funding also supports beach tourism, which contributes greatly to Delaware’s economy and sup­ports thousands of jobs,” Rep. John Carney, D-Del. said. “With Memorial Day fast approaching, I’m looking forward to another successful year at Delaware’s beaches.”

Just months before Sandy hit, the state wrapped up a beach nourish ment project, which many credit for protecting Delaware’s coast.

“Storms and rising sea levels can cause severe erosion, and we have to remain vigilant in order to ensure we have the best possible protections in place,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del, said. “As we saw when Superstorm Sandy hit in October, sound manage­ment and flood protection measures on our beaches prevented devastat­ing damage, and now we have to be ready before the next storm hits.”

Staff writer Eleanor La Prade can be reached at 741-8242 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..