Dam Safety

The Delaware Dam Safety Program works to reduce the risk of failure of dams and to prevent injuries, property damage, and loss of reservoir storage due to dam failure. It oversees the design and construction, operation and maintenance, and inspection of regulated dams in Delaware. [panel type=”success” heading=”Contact

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Questions and Answers

A collection of common questions, and answers, about the coastal construction regulatory program. The Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section has a series of maps that show the location of the Building

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Adopt-a-Beach

DNREC’s Adopt-A-Beach program is a partnership between the Department and Delaware volunteers, working in tandem to protect and enhance Delaware’s beaches.

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Beach Grass Planting

Volunteers are the backbone of Delaware’s shoreline stabilization. Every spring since 1990, with the exception of 2020, many dedicated volunteers have stabilized Delaware’s sand dunes by planting more than 5 million stems of Cape American beach grass along ocean and bay beaches. [panel

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You Can Help Protect Beaches and Dunes

There are several ways property owners and visitors can preserve and protect beaches and dunes. Plant Beach

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Beaches and Shorelines

The Shoreline and Waterway Management Section works to maintain and improve Delaware’s shoreline and waterways. The section manages the shoreline through

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Coastal Construction

Coastal development adds stress to beach systems, especially to dunes. Dunes and beaches are the first lines of protection from wave action for coastal communities during coastal storms. Dunes also act as storage areas that supply sand to the beach during storms.

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Delaware Beach Building Line Maps

The Regulations Governing Beach Protection and the Use of Beaches (7 DE Admin. Code 5102) establishes a “building line” along the coast and stipulate that no construction may take place seaward of that without a Coastal Construction Permit or Coastal Construction Letter of Approval from the Department. The building line is mapped by the

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Beaches are a Natural Resource

The sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay shorelines are valuable natural resources to the State of Delaware. The beaches were created by nature and continue to be shaped by wind and waves. The 1972 Beach Preservation Act (7 Del.C. Chapter 68) provides the authority to DNREC to enhance, preserve, and protect the

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Macroalgae in Delaware’s Inland Bays

The water quality of Delaware’s Inland Bays is very important to outdoor recreational activities available for Delawareans and visitors alike. The Assawoman, Indian River and Rehoboth Bays provide a superb venue for fishing, boating, waterskiing and other related outdoor activities. However, like so many natural resources, these areas also suffer from the negative effects of

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Watershed Stewardship Contacts

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Determining Dredging Priorities

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is using stakeholder input to develop a data-based method to prioritize dredging projects in Delaware’s Inland Bays.

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Waterway Management Workshops

What does it take to keep Delaware’s waterways open and safe? The DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section held a series of informational open house workshops in 2019 to share information about dredging and other waterway management operations in Delaware. Sierra

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2020 Masseys Ditch Dredging Project

The project to dredge Massey’s Ditch, an important navigation channel in the Inland Bays, was completed on February 27, 2020. The demobilization and removal of equipment such as pipeline concluded in mid-March 2020. Jesse Hayden Division of

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Waterway Management

An important part of the Division of Watershed Stewardship’s mission is to maintain and improve Delaware’s navigable waterways, including its bays and canals.

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