South Bethany, Delaware​


The small coastal town of South Bethany Beach, Delaware is located on the Delmarva Peninsula.  It is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  A 345 acre drainage basin feeds residential canals that drain into the adjacent bay. The poor flushing and inadequate tidal circulation contribute to annual algae blooms.


The town and several residents banded together to install 43 floating treatment wetlands along bulkheads and at canal dead ends. The wetlands range in size from 32 square feet to 320 square feet, covering a total area of 4,160 square feet.

They are planted with smooth cordgrass, (Spartina alterniflora), the same species that dominates the tidal marshes in the adjacent bay.