Sussex County and the Lewes Board of Public Works have approached officials in Rehoboth Beach about sharing the city’s ocean outfall, which runs one mile out into the Atlantic Ocean from Deauville Beach.
This is the third time the county has attempted to utilize the outfall’s unused capacity. However, this time, it comes on the heels of the state’s discovery of a significant archaeological site near the county’s Wolfe Neck Regional Wastewater Facility between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.
After Rehoboth’s most recent rebuff of the county’s proposal, Sussex officials turned to the Lewes BPW for a partnership. Lewes BPW was and still is analyzing options for the future of its wastewater treatment. In addition to ideas like hardening the existing plant or building a new facility, the county pitched a partnership that would use land at the Wolfe Neck facility for a joint treatment operation. When the state made the discovery of artifacts late last summer, plans for a Sussex County/Lewes BPW partnership were sunk. Although other options still exist, both utilities believe leasing a portion of the Rehoboth outfall’s capacity would be the best solution.
Details of those plans, as well as discussions among the three entities, have not yet occurred. The proposal was only briefly introduced at a recent Rehoboth Beach commissioners meeting.
What continues to be shrouded in mystery is what was discovered at the Wolfe Neck site. To date, officials from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control have been tight-lipped about it. Attempts to learn more through Freedom of Information Act requests have been denied. All that is known is that further study was supposed to have occurred last fall.
Considering Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson announced the discovery at a public meeting and went so far as to say the find could change the course of Sussex County’s history, the public deserves answers. We encourage DNREC officials to provide some information about the discovery. What’s the big secret?
-
Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
