CASE STUDIES OF DELAWARE'S TIDAL INLETS: ROOSEVELT AND INDIAN RIVER INLETS.

Studies were undertaken to document the past and present characteristics and trends of Delaware's two major tidal inlets. It was found that both inlet complexes are effective sediment traps causing considerable downdrift erosion. The major mechanism by which sand enters Indian River Inlet is by overtopping the impounded south jetty. At Roosevelt Inlet sediments are readily transported past the severed steel sheet pile jetties. The results of a one-dimensional hydraulic model, as well as field measurements, predict the presence of a mean southerly flow through the canal and bay system which connects these two inlets. This flow is shown to have a substantial effect on the behavior and stability of these entranceways, causing major asymmetries on the depositional patterns at each location. Refs.