The mission of the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section is to maintain and improve Delaware’s shoreline and waterways (bays and canals). Overall, the section manages the shoreline through regulation of coastal construction activities and implementation of dune and beach management practices. We also work to protect and enhance eroded beaches to enable continued recreational use of this precious resource. Additionally, we work to improve the state’s ability to endure severe coastal storms with minimal damage to public and private property and infrastructure.
Specifically, the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section:
- Regulates coastal construction through programs and permit requirements for construction in beach areas
- Protects and enhances Delaware's beaches using science-based dune and beach management practices that include: nourishing eroding beaches, planting beach grass to promote dune growth and fencing dunes to protect them from pedestrian traffic.
Also included in the section are:
- Administers the Adopt-A-Beach Program
- Provides help using floodplain maps and compliance with National Flood Insurance Program Regulations for floodplain development
- Updates and improves federal floodplain maps
- Improves the state’s ability to endure severe coastal storms with minimal damage to public and private property as well as infrastructure
- Oversees state dredging operations, including the operation of the Indian River Sand Bypass System - designed to provide an on-going source of sand nourishment to the north side of Indian River Inlet
- Provides aids to navigation including channel marking, macroalgae management/harvesting and tax lagoons.
- In cooperation with the University of Delaware's Sea Grant College Program and Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative, develop a variety of resources to help communities and individuals understand, assess and manage coastal hazards, such as the following documents:
