City of Rehoboth Beach Awarded Water Infrastructure Grants

The City of Rehoboth Beach was awarded two matching grants on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, by the Water Infrastructure Advisory Council totaling $82,500. The first application was for a Surface Water Planning Grant through DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship. Rehoboth Beach submitted this grant application on behalf of a partnership with the Town of Dewey Beach and Sussex County. The grant will provide matching funds for the development of a Silver Lake and Lake Comegys Management Plan. The plan would involve mapping the existing stormwater infrastructure and identifying necessary maintenance, updating stormwater and drainage plans, preparing preliminary engineering reports, evaluating the water quality of the lakes including best management practices for improvements, and outreach with stakeholders related to the findings from this plan.

The second grant application was a Drinking Water Planning Grant through the Department of Health and Social Service’s Division of Public Health. The city requested matching funds for a Water Facility Study that will evaluate the city's existing potable water system from the production wells through treatment, distribution, and storage as it relates to existing and future water demands with recommendations for improvements. The plan will also include the creation of a water distribution model and updated water system mapping which can be converted into the city’s GIS database as well as Google® Earth for ease of viewing. The model will assist in recommendations for the existing system as well as future development.