News from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
December 4, 2007
Volume 37, Number 441
Contact: Patrick Cooper, Park Administrator, Cape Henlopen State Park,
phone: (302) 645-8983 or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, phone: (302)
739-9902
Herring Point Beach to Close for Reconstruction of Erosion Control
Structure
Beginning in mid-December, Herring Point and its parking area will be
closed to the public while the second of two deteriorated groins intended
to control beach erosion is replaced. Located at the south end of Cape
Henlopen State Park near the Biden Center, the stretch of beach is popular
with surfers, swimmers, anglers, beachgoers and history buffs who come to
see its historic gun battery.
Work on the first groin was completed last spring and the beach was
reopened for the summer season, with the second half of the $1.5 million
project planned for this fall. The work involves removing timber remnants
from the old groins and adding stone to rebuild the groins and extend
their length to the base of the Herring Point sand bluff to better protect
the gun battery and overlook parking lot and to build up the beach for
improved recreational use.
The 300-foot long groins were built out of timber and rock in the
mid-1950s by the United States government as part of the Fort Miles
Military Reservation, an important army base which protected the entrance
to the Delaware Bay. The Herring Point land was added to Cape Henlopen
State Park in 1983, and along with the rest of the former fort, was placed
on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Placed about 800 feet
apart, the groins were built to protect the sand bluff on which the fort's
gun battery rests. The groins were designed to control the natural
movement of sand along the shoreline by allowing it to accumulate on the
updrift side of the groin.
The failing structures have allowed erosion to narrow the beach and let
the sea come in close enough to damage the parking area. In fall 2006,
after parts of the sand bluff collapsed, the park closed parts of the
overlook out of concern for public safety.
"We want to ensure that our visitors are safe, number one, and number two,
that they can enjoy the park and all it has to offer - and we hope to
continue to provide these benefits far into the future. That's why this
work is so important," said Cape Henlopen State Park Administrator Pat
Cooper, noting hopes are to complete the project for the 2008 summer
season.
Cooper also stressed that the beach, parking area and parking along the
road will all be closed to the public, including surf fishers, while work
is in progress. "The only access to that area will be at the four-wheel
drive crossing for vehicles with a valid surf fishing permit," he said.
For more information, please call the Cape Henlopen State Park office at
302-645-8983 or visit http://www.destateparks.com/chsp/chsp.htm.
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This story is also available on DNREC Online at
http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/d…ress/story1.asp?PRID=2743 or
check the DNREC Online Home Page at http://www.dnrec.state.de.us .