thats got nothing to do with the new bridge....they are pumping sand from the beach on the south side of the inlet to the beach on the north side because the jetties block the natural south to north flow of sand. Its been done for the last 20 years or so. ever notice the big red crane on the ss? Thats holding the other end of the pipe with the suction pump.Originally Posted by johnnyd
Mitchell is correct concerning IRI. In 1992 the state started pumping sand from the SS to the NS to help with the sand walls (sometimes as high as 8') that would form on NS due to the inlet splitting the natural flow of sand from SS so that there was actually a beach for visitors to enjoy instead of a cliff for surfers to slide or jump down while going out to ride. Man, I miss those breaks though. especially the wedging peak that used to break off the SS rocks.
And as far as digging sand 'out' of dewey, i have no clue what you are talking about. Yes, we did have some pretty decent sandbars for a 4 year stretch in the beginning of the millenium as well as back in the 80's and early 90's, but our waves were lost to them pumping sand in, not 'taking' it out.
That photo is not photoshopped, some years, that is a daily occurence.
good questions..
Dewey has been a fun and punchy wave at times in the past (kind of reminded me of OCMD)...even for a time in the 1990s AFTER nourishment when some finer grained sand was pumped onto the beach from Hens and Chicken Shoals, proving to me at least, that with the right sand beach nourishment isnt a surf killer. Complaints by fishermen, to the National Marine Fisheries Service, that the shoals borrow site was right on prime fishing grounds has eliminated that potential source of good sand for beaches.
The digging out you might be thinking about was mostly done in Rehoboth and Dewey last year where some gravel had accumulated in the deep water right off the edge of the beach and was removed with an excavator. IMO that little project had no effect on the surfing...the conditions were already horrible before the gravel was removed.
I completely agree. Shorebreak is dangerous for everyone. Tourists try to bodysurf shorebreak and end up getting pounded headfirst into the beach and breaking their neck. I cringe everytime I see this in dewey/rehoboth.
Don't forget the pump house on the SS, I took the picture about 3 weeks ago; ironically all of that pumped sand is now gone. I was just at the inlet on Monday and the square foundation is already exposed. There was significant over-wash all the way to the concrete walkway.
I watched them once in Dewey - they pumped sand from the bar onto the beach. Result: Wider beach, No sandbar, and shorepound. Its never been the same since that time, sometime in the early 2000's
So you'd rather let the ocean come in and destroy the buildings and the tourism industry along with it?
That's fine if you think that, but I'm sure you can see that that is not a viable alternative for the government to accept. (Unless they go broke).
I'm simply saying if you have a better alternative to what they are doing that would save money or do the job better exc exc. Do something to get the word out. Maybe they are doing this every year because they just don't know any better....
There is always posts complaining about how dumb they are for doing this but I've never seen anyone with a better idea who said they tried to tell the government the better idea. If you have a better idea put it together and use the forum to get some people behind it....
Artificial reefs doooood
There really isn't any permanent option, the situation will come to a point where sea level rise and erosion will inhibit any type of beach replenishment from being viable. This notion will probably occur within the next 50 years. The few property owners the engineering projects protect will be out of luck.
So you'd rather let the ocean come in and destroy the buildings and the tourism industry along with it?
That's fine if you think that, but I'm sure you can see that that is not a viable alternative for the government to accept. (Unless they go broke).
I'm simply saying if you have a better alternative to what they are doing that would save money or do the job better exc exc. Do something to get the word out. Maybe they are doing this every year because they just don't know any better....
There is always posts complaining about how dumb they are for doing this but I've never seen anyone with a better idea who said they tried to tell the government the better idea. If you have a better idea put it together and use the forum to get some people behind it....
So you're a fan of dredging. got it.
So you'd rather let the ocean come in and destroy the buildings and the tourism industry along with it?
That's fine if you think that, but I'm sure you can see that that is not a viable alternative for the government to accept. (Unless they go broke).
I'm simply saying if you have a better alternative to what they are doing that would save money or do the job better exc exc. Do something to get the word out. Maybe they are doing this every year because they just don't know any better....
There is always posts complaining about how dumb they are for doing this but I've never seen anyone with a better idea who said they tried to tell the government the better idea. If you have a better idea put it together and use the forum to get some people behind it....
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