The City of Wilmington has been awarded a nearly $3 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support the South Wilmington Freshwater Tidal Wetland Habitat Restoration for Flood Prevention, commonly known as the South Wilmington Wetland Project.
The grant is the largest of 35 grants awarded nationwide through the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
The purpose of the wetland park, scheduled to begin construction in spring of 2019, is to create a stormwater management facility that will reduce flooding in Southbridge, and create open space for the community.
The project will restore 14 acres of degraded wetland to a freshwater tidal wetland habitat in South Wilmington with a trail system. The project will enhance coastal resiliency, improve soil and water quality, and restore habitat for a variety of fish and wetland and aquatic wildlife, a release stated.
“The Southbridge neighborhood in Wilmington has dealt with terrible, consistent flooding after rainstorms for far too long, so I’m thrilled that after years of hard work, we were able to secure $3 million in federal funding to finally fix this issue for the long term,” said Delaware U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This is a great example of community leaders and government officials from the state, local, and federal levels all working together to make a real difference for a community in need.”
