Where do roughly 90,000 cubic yards of canal bottom go? For most of the past year the answer looked like it would be spread around the Inland Bays. As of this fall it is Lewes. All of the sediment the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes out of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal between now and March is being pumped to two existing placement sites along the canal's northern section in Lewes, south of Cedar Street, the Cape Gazette reported in September.
The dredge digs from the Freeman Highway bridge south toward Rehoboth Bay, so most of the digging happens out of sight of downtown Lewes. The sediment it pulls up comes the other way. The 10-mile canal was finished in 1918 and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. It has had spot dredging over the past two decades, but the last full dredge was in 2002.
Two Reaches, Two Separate Jobs
The canal has been dredged in two pieces, and which piece you live or boat near decides what this winter looks like for you.
| Stretch of canal | Most recent dredge | What it means this winter |
|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt Inlet to the Freeman Highway bridge | Separate Army Corps contract, 2024 | Already done; not part of the current contract |
| Freeman Highway bridge to Rehoboth Bay | Current contract, expected October 2026 to March 2027 | Active work zone, moving south from the bridge |
Canalfront Park sits on the northern reach. When the 2024 job wrapped up, the Cape Gazette reported that Lewes couldn't dredge the park's boat slips with the equipment used on that contract, and the city planned to dredge the slips itself. The current federal contract is for the navigation channel south of Route 9. It doesn't cover city slips.
The southern reach is the bigger job. Delaware Public Media describes it as six miles of canal, and the Army Corps puts the contracted volume at about 89,000 cubic yards. Local coverage rounds that to 90,000. The goal is a channel 50 feet wide and 6 feet deep at mean lower low water, with one extra foot of allowable overdepth. Dredging is planned wherever depths have dropped below the authorized 6 feet.
What Is Sitting on the Water Right Now
In mid-September, a dredge boat was anchored just east of the Freeman Highway bridge while crews mobilized. The Cape Gazette reported that work would start at the bridge and move south toward Rehoboth Beach. The work is done with a hydraulic dredge and booster pumps. That setup explains how sediment dug miles to the south ends up in Lewes: it is pumped back up the canal through pipeline.
In August 2025 the Corps awarded the $9.6 million contract to Cottrell Contracting Corporation of Chesapeake, Virginia. The Coast Guard's October 7 Local Notice to Mariners names the vessel as Cottrell's Dredge Rockbridge.
The official dates don't line up neatly. The Army Corps' August 31 update says work was expected to begin in October 2026 and finish by March 2027. The Coast Guard notice still lists an expected start of August 26 and an end date of March 10, 2027. It also describes the operation as running from southwest of Roosevelt Inlet through the canal to Rehoboth Bay, which reaches past the Route 9 starting point in the Corps' contract. Neither notice explains the difference. As of October 10, the public record shows the equipment is mobilized and digging is expected this month. No published report yet confirms that sediment removal has begun. The broader Coast Guard description is also a reasonable warning that pipeline or support equipment could show up north of the bridge, even though the digging itself is planned for the southern reach.
How the Spoils Ended Up South of Cedar Street
The plan for the sediment changed over the past year. In a December 2025 modification request, the Corps proposed sending 28,000 to 30,000 cubic yards of sand to Thompson Island, at the head of Rehoboth Bay, and about 30,000 cubic yards to an empty lagoon at Sussex County's Wolfe Neck Regional Wastewater Facility. The remaining finer material from the southern end would go to two cells at the Lewes placement facility. The Corps described the Thompson Island work as a way to reduce erosion and protect archaeological resources, a rare plant, and shoreline habitat. The Center for the Inland Bays said it supported using the material to reinforce its living-shoreline project there. DNREC's public notice took comments through February 17, 2026.
By September the plan had narrowed. The Delaware State Historic Preservation Office and local Native American tribes raised concerns about several sections of the proposed project, and Army Corps spokesperson Steve Rochette said the Corps limited placement to the two existing upland areas as a result. All of the material is now going to Lewes. The Thompson Island and Wolfe Neck proposals are no longer part of this job.
The Lewes Side Through the Off-Season
The northern reach was dredged in 2024 and the active work is moving south, so the downtown waterfront keeps most of its usual off-season routine. Here is what the places along it list for the coming months.
- Canalfront Park. The city's park rules list restrooms and the fishing pavilion as open year-round. The small-craft launch is for hand-carried or trolleyed nonmotorized boats only, and trailered launches aren't allowed. The park organization lists an Oktoberfest with the American Legion on October 17, 2026.
- The public dock beside the Lightship Overfalls. According to the city's fee sheet, boats 25 feet or shorter can tie up first-come, first-served, free for two hours and $15 an hour after that.
- Lightship Overfalls. The ship has been in Lewes since 1973. The Overfalls Foundation lists its regular tour season as ending in mid-October, so the last regular weekends are here. After that it opens to the public on Veterans Day and the first Saturday in December, and offers off-season tours by arrangement.
- Anglers Road. Wheelhouse, at Fisherman's Wharf, says its waterfront deck is open year-round. Lewes Harbour Marina, at 217 Anglers Road, advertises bait, tackle, boating supplies and dockside fuel, with posted daily hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The page doesn't say whether those hours apply in winter. At the end of the road, Anglers Fishing Center says its 52-foot Pirate King II fishes year-round.
- Cape Water Tours. Its canal cruise is listed as returning in spring 2027. Seal-watching trips run in winter, generally December through April.
Hours posted online often lag behind seasonal changes, so a phone call before a cold-weather visit is a good idea, especially for charters.
Heading South by Boat or Paddle
The work zone is south of the bridge, toward Rehoboth. Delaware Public Media, citing the Army Corps, reported that the work will likely block a significant width of the canal. No published source gives a schedule for when boats can pass at specific locations. The Coast Guard notice tells passing vessels to:
- Hail the dredge on VHF channel 13 or 16.
- Keep clear of the dredge, pipeline, barges, cables and submerged lines.
- Use extreme caution while passing.
The notice doesn't list work hours or a closure schedule.
Two access points at the southern end are inside the work zone. Henlopen Acres Marina, at 47 Tidewaters, reaches both bays by way of the canal and has a pump-out facility. Slip availability is handled through Town Hall. In Rehoboth Beach, the Grove Park Canal Dock is listed as a boat dock with boating, fishing, boat tours and kayaking. It reopened on July 11, 2025, after the city surveyed the ramp and retaining wall twice and found them safe and stable.
The Army Corps notes that the canal serves recreational boaters, commercial traffic, research vessels, and the Delaware Bay and River Cooperative's oil-spill response work. It also says that skipping maintenance dredging can create hazardous conditions and damage both commercial and recreational boats. If the March 2027 target holds, the dredge should be out of the canal before the spring boating season, and the whole canal from Roosevelt Inlet to Rehoboth Bay will have been dredged within about three years.
If you own a home along the canal, or keep a boat on it, and you have questions about how this winter's work fits into your plans, Karla Morgan is happy to talk through what she's seeing around Lewes. Let's Connect.
