Keep Our Canals Clean
South Bethany Residents,
Help Improve Our Canals And Keep Them Clean! Our beautiful beach, our five-miles of unique canals and access to the Inland Bays and beyond make living in South Bethany special. There is so much to do and enjoy!
The quality of our canal system is critically important to enable everyone to enjoy all that living and owning property in the community affords us.
Here are things that we can do to help improve our canals and keep them clean:
1. Make sure nothing from your property drains directly into the canals. This includes house drains, showers, and downspout. Plug any old drain that are in your bulkheads.
2. Redirect all of your downspouts to areas where they can soak into the ground.
3. Inspect your bulkheads at least once a year and repair any damage to minimize the amount of silt going into the water.
4. Mow grass away from the canals. Blow or sweep grass clipping and debris away from the canals.
5. Reduce or eliminate your use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Never fertilize within 50 feet of the canals.
6. Pull weeds instead of spraying. If you must spray, try a non-toxic option.
7. Avoid putting ANYTHING into the canals. That includes food waste, fish cleaning scraps and pet waste. Pet waste releases bacteria in it and is harmful to aquatic life.
8. The Delaware Center for Inland Bays has a publication, ‘Protecting the Inland Bays,’ that provides additional suggestions on how to protect our canals. (https://www.inlandbays.org/get-involved/property-guidebook) Working together we can make a difference! Thank you!
