Coastal Resiliency Action Plan

This project is designed to assist the community of New Castle, Delaware in their efforts to protect the City from the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Currently the community experiences a number of coastal related problems including nuisance flooding of streets resulting in road closures, storm damage and erosion of dikes; and periodic property flooding.

Before the community can develop strategies to mitigate against coastal hazards, they must first identify the risks and determine their vulnerability to the impacts of those hazards. Through this project, the DCMP will assist the community to conduct a vulnerability assessment and develop a coastal resiliency action plan. The action plan will include effective strategies to address current and future risks such as sea level rise, increased storm frequency and intensity, tidegate and dike problems or failures, wetland loss, as well as other impacts.

New Castle Dike Management Advisory Committee

The City of New Castle is protected by four centuries-old dike structures: Buttonwood Dike, Broad Marsh Dike Gambacorta Marsh Dike, and Army Creek Dike. After an initial assessment, it was apparent that ensuring the structural integrity of the dikes was key to ensuring their capacity to protect the City against the impacts of coastal storms and rising sea levels. 

Over time nature, competing uses, and the lack of adequate maintenance have taken their toll on the condition of the dikes. An inspection and evaluation of New Castle's dike system was recently conducted has identified areas of concern with each dike that if not addressed could increase the City's risk to coastal flooding.  Increased erosion, animal burrows, deep woody growth penetration and other issues all compromise the stability of the dikes and increase the risk of full or partial failure of these barriers. The purpose of the DMAC is to evaluate the long-term flood control requirements of the City and develop a comprehensive dike management plan restore or enhance the dikes to meet those needs and to implement a long-term maintenance strategy.

Dike Restoration Plans

• Red Lion Dike Preliminary Design Report 
• Delaware Bays Dikes Repair and Prevention Project - Red Lion (Presentation) 

Next meeting: 

Tuesday April 30, 2013,  1 - 3 p.m.
New Castle Library Community Room, 424 Delaware Street, New Castle DE 19720

Purpose: To provide an update on the dike restoration projects and review the historical context and historical and cultural findings to date for the City of New Castle Dikes.  Attendees are invited to provide comments as part of the Section 106 Review of the dikes. 

Meeting Information and Materials

August 22, 2012

• Agenda
• Delaware Bays Dikes Repair and Prevention Project - City of New Castle Dikes (Presentation)
• Gambacorta Living Shoreline Preliminary Design
• Gambacorta Living Shoreline Cost Estimates

• Agenda 

July 28, 2011

• Agenda 

April 19, 2011

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary 

March 24, 2011

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary
• Description of Recommended Actions and Related Issues
• USACE Levee Owner's Manual for Non-Federal Flood Control Works (March 2006)

February 17, 2011 

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary 
• "New Castle Dike Management Advisory Committee" Presentation                     
• List of Advisory Committee Members
• Proposed Plan Development Process        
• Summary of Recommendations