Delaware.gov logo

Indian River Inlet North Beach Repair Project



DNREC has made significant progress on the emergency dredging and beach repair project underway at the North Indian River Inlet Beach. To date, over 250,000 cubic yards of sand have been dredged and used for restoration.

Updated Jan. 10, 2025

The project aims to strengthen shoreline resiliency and protect critical infrastructure, like Delaware State Route 1 (SR 1), an evacuation route, from the damaging effects of coastal erosion.

Project Overview

A crane works to move sand that has been dredged and placed on a beach.
Dredged material is pumped through a pipeline then screened for munitions and explosives of concern before sand is used to rebuild the beach.

The $15 million project (cost-shared with the federal government) supports dredging up to 380,000 cubic yards of sand from the Indian River Inlet Flood Shoal for rebuilding up to 5,000 linear feet of shoreline.

Dredged material is being transported via pipeline and screened for munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) prior to placement on the beach. The dune system is being restored to an overall elevation of 16 feet by 25 feet wide.

The beach is being constructed to an elevation of 9.2 feet, or about 7 feet above the average high tide, and a width to be determined by the available dredge volume.

Dredgit Corporation is currently operating on a 24/7 schedule and is on-target to complete the project in February of 2025.  Beach restoration began at the north jetty and continues northward along the shoreline.

Support equipment is staged near the Indian River Inlet north shore marina and in the North Campground, including the dredge pipeline that is routed under the Inlet Bridge.

A map of the Indian River Inlet and the beach area north of the inlet showing the location from which sand will be dredges and where it will be placed.
Project overview map: Indian River Inlet Flood Shoal to be dredged with sand used to restore the northside beachfill area.

The North Indian River Inlet Beach (North Beach) remains closed to ensure public safety. DNREC continues to monitor the situation and is working with the contractors to reopen this area when it is deemed to be safe for park visitors and surfers.

Pedestrian and bicycle access is limited from the North Campground to the SR 1 northbound lane. ADA-compliant multiuse ramps will be provided at all pedestrian pipeline crossings. However, due to safety considerations, access to the area is discouraged.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been given notice for mariners to exercise caution and maintain a safe distance from the ongoing dredging activity, including floating and submerged pipelines, the dredge and support vessels within the area of operations in the Indian River Inlet.

The Need for Beach Repair

The North Indian River Inlet coastline has a long history of erosion due to construction of the inlet jetties that began in 1928. The jetties were built to stabilize the inlet and improve navigation, but the hard structures interrupt the natural northward flow of sand via the longshore current.

As a result, sand is trapped by the south jetty and accumulates on the updrift (or south) side, creating a larger beach in that area. Consequently, the downdrift (or north) side of the north jetty experiences a lack of sediment supply, leading to erosion.

An aerial view of the beach and dune between the ocean and a highway with waves breaking through the dune and washing onto part of the highway.
Nov. 17, 2024, aerial view of the dune breach at Delaware Seashore State Park (looking north). The SR-1 northbound lane is closed to vehicles and completely covered in ocean water, sand and debris.

From 1957 to 1990, over 2 million cubic yards of sand was dredged from Indian River Inlet to maintain the channel and obtain beach fill for the eroding north Inlet beach. In 1990, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) built the Sand Bypassing Facility to continuously pump sand from the south Inlet beach to North Beach via pipeline and was the primary maintenance activity for many years.

The Sand Bypassing Facility became inoperable in 2019. Since then, DNREC has relied on truck-haul sand from inland sources for beach nourishment. Over time, conditions at North Beach have severely deteriorated and adding sand via truck-haul could no longer overcome the rate of erosion.

Dune breaches occurred during March and August of 2024 due to offshore storms. These storms resulted in flooding and closure of the SR 1 northbound lane for several hours as ocean water subsided, and the roadway could be cleared of sand and debris.

North Beach requires a large volume of sand that is rapidly delivered to reconstruct the dune system to a template that would mitigate erosion. By implementing this project and repairing the Sand Bypassing Facility (expected in 2025), we anticipate North Beach will be sustained for several years.

Indian River Inlet Flood Shoal

The Indian River Inlet Flood Shoal is a sandy borrow area that was previously used by the USACE in 2013 to rebuild North Beach following Hurricane Sandy.

Topographic survey data showed that nearly 100% of the sand dredged from the flood shoal in 2013 had recovered within four years; therefore, DNREC evaluated the current material as a borrow source for repairing North Beach.

Sediment cores from the Indian River Inlet Flood Shoal were evaluated for grain size and the presence of contaminants (metals, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides and Dioxins/furans) with associated potential toxicity to benthic aquatic life and human health using risk-based assessment methods and the appropriate guideline concentrations.

Laboratory results confirmed sandy material (an average of 96%) and detected a few contaminants in composite samples, but none were found at concentrations that would impact aquatic life or human health if sediments were dredged and used to rebuild North Beach.




+