BEACH
ASSOCIATION
Davis, Bowen & Friedel
March 1, 2003
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MIDDLESEX BEACH ASSOCIATION |
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Meeting with
Davis, Bowen & Friedel March 1, 2003 |
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Water flows downhill. Unfortunately, there isn't much downhill in Middlesex Beach. In addition, some of the culverts under driveways on the pine side appear to be below the high tide mark.
Along Kent Ave (DE361) west of Middlesex Beach, and in Middlesex Beach, there's been enough standing water for a period of several months for the levels to equalize. During drier weather, the water table is somewhat lower and the water can percolate into the soil. Most of the Middlesex area has a layer of fairly impervious clay a few feet below the surface, but in particular where the Artesian water lines were installed, this layer has been disturbed and water disappears a bit quicker. But most of the time, the drainage ditches are little more than a holding place for excess water. On March 1, the Drainage Committee met with Chuck Hauser of the Davis, Bowen & Friedel Engineering Firm. His company has been recently doing extensive work in the town of Bethany Beach-in particular the installation of a check valve in the Loop Canal. The purpose of this is to allow water to flow from the Loop Canal away from town and towards the Assawoman Canal, but to prevent water at extreme high tides from flooding the town. In addition, DBF is working on a $19,000 contract with the town of Bethany to update the 1991 Town Wide Drainage Study. The existing study, being more than 10 years old, is being reprioritized. They're to be in touch with the Army Corps of Engineers regarding permits for that project, and will mention that other communities in the area are also interested in hearing their views. Mr. Hauser brought with him a 1997 overhead photo of Middlesex Beach with 5' contour lines, which pretty much verified the data that the Drainage Committee had previously assembled (thank you, Carl). He agreed that our options were very limited given the nature of draining such a low-lying area. He thought the possibility of sending drainage water into the South Bethany canals as a potential way of assisting them to flush out the back ends of their canals was worth exploring. Any necessary catch basin for this project that would limit sediment flow would be constructed at or below grade. He mentioned that along Atlantic Ave in Bethany, where the town has installed underground drainage conduits, they are roughly half full of sand and cannot realistically be cleaned out. There is not enough of an elevation drop for them to be self scouring and are a maintenance headache. He did stress that on an open ditch system at this elevation, keeping the bottoms of the ditches cleared of all debris was necessary for proper functioning. Surface water is removed not only by draining down through ditches, but also by percolating into the ground. DBF will also be attempting to identify potential outside sources of funding for this project, but is mindful of the private nature of our community and our desire not to do anything that would jeopardize that status, and indirectly the private status of our beach. |