DNREC to Remove Baker’s Channel Markers in Inland Bays

Credit to: Cape Gazette, Chris Flood

Credit to: Cape Gazette

As part of an ongoing effort to repair and install channel markers throughout the Inland Bays, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced it will remove the floating channel markers from Baker’s Channel and will not replace them.

According to Josh Lippert, administrator of DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section, more than half of the channel’s floating markers were lost during this winter’s storms. Many of the remaining markers were also pushed off station and no longer accurately indicate safe navigation routes, creating potential hazards for boaters.

Baker’s Channel connects Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay along the eastern side of Lynch’s Thicket. The area is known for shallow sandbars, but the channel has been marked since 2011 through a partnership with the Center for the Inland Bays. The route was intended to reduce congestion in Massey’s Ditch, the primary waterway near Massey’s Landing at the end of Long Neck Road.

Lippert said DNREC recently determined that the original partnership agreement with the Center for the Inland Bays is no longer active and that no current agreement outlining maintenance responsibilities could be located. As a result, the state will continue focusing resources on Massey’s Ditch, which remains the officially recognized and maintained navigation route in the area.

While boating activity continues to increase throughout the Inland Bays, Lippert said DNREC must prioritize its limited maintenance and dredging resources on state-designated channels.

“Some roads are maintained by DelDOT, while others are private or maintained by local communities,” Lippert explained. “Similarly, the state maintains priority navigation channels such as Massey’s Ditch, while other waterways may still be used by boaters without being formally maintained by the state.”

Lippert added that maintaining floating markers in Baker’s Channel has become increasingly difficult due to shifting shoals and storm activity. Markers frequently move off station, requiring ongoing surveys, vessel operations, staffing, and maintenance work.

The channel was named after Capt. Bill Baker, a member of the Inland Bays Water Use Plan Implementation Committee who helped advocate for the route. Baker also owned a bait-and-tackle shop in Lewes.

Broader Channel Maintenance Effort

DNREC announced the Baker’s Channel decision as part of a larger Inland Bays channel-marking project that began earlier this month.

Lippert said this winter’s snow and ice storms caused widespread damage to navigation markers throughout the bays. Freeze-thaw cycles and moving ice displaced or destroyed numerous markers.

Excluding Baker’s Channel, the current project includes work on 44 Inland Bays channel markers, including:

• Installation of nine markers in Lower Indian River
• Installation of seven markers in Roy Creek
• Replacement of six markers in Whites Creek
• Replacement of 12 markers in Beach Cove
• Relocation and installation of 10 markers in The Ditch

DNREC maintains nearly 200 channel markers statewide as part of its annual waterway management program. Lippert said this year’s effort is one of the most extensive Inland Bays maintenance projects in recent years because of the number of waterways affected at the same time.

Although DNREC initially expected most work to be completed by Memorial Day, weather conditions have delayed progress.

“The current timeline remains weather-dependent,” Lippert said, noting that high winds have complicated channel-marking operations and could continue affecting schedules.

Lippert said spring is typically the preferred time for preseason channel maintenance, but this year’s extensive storm damage, staffing limitations, equipment coordination, and survey requirements created additional challenges.

To help boaters stay informed, DNREC continues issuing Notices to Mariners regarding changing channel conditions and works closely with DNREC Natural Resources Police to promote boating safety throughout the Inland Bays.