New boat ramp, dock proposed for Millsboro’s Ingrams Pond

The state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is looking to modify an existing boat launch facility at Ingrams Pond, along Godwin School Road in Millsboro.

The application for the project was published Feb. 28 by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section.

Jesse Baird, environmental scientist for the state’s consultant Century Engineering, went into the details of the project in a letter to DNREC.

The project comprises replacement of the existing boat ramp and installation of a new fixed dock, said Baird. The new boat ramp will be slightly longer and better aligned with the parking lot, he said.

The new fixed dock – 6 feet wide, 36 feet long – will run the length of the ramp to aid in launching and loading watercraft, said Baird. Six timber piles will be driven to provide foundational support for the new fixed dock, he said, adding that temporary sheet pile and dewatering will occur to complete in-water work.

Additional work includes reconstruction of the parking lot, and installation of a concrete pad and screen wall for portable restrooms, said Baird.

The parking lot will be resurfaced and striped to provide designated parking spaces for vehicles with and without trailers, said Baird. A handicap-designated parking space will also be created, he said.

According to DNREC’s freshwater fishing pond maps website, Ingrams Pond is 24.4 acres, with a maximum depth of 7 feet. The most recent assessment of the gamefish population in the pond was conducted in May 2022. The assessment shows the pond is home to largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, chain pickerel and catfish. Both brown bullhead and yellow bullhead were documented in the pond during previous surveys, but neither species was collected in 2022. Other species observed during the 2022 survey included American eel and creek chubsucker.

The parking area is large and can accommodate at least 11 boat trailers. To the right of the ramp, there is about 500 feet of forested shoreline that is accessible for angling. Shore anglers can also walk along the pond edge from the boat ramp to the dam area, which is inside the guard rail along Godwin Road. Most of the northern shoreline is owned by the Indian River School District, which uses the property for educational purposes. The remainder of the shoreline is privately owned.

Comments on the project are due by Tuesday, March 19. A public hearing on the above applications will not be held unless DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin determines that one is in the public interest or if a written meritorious objection to the application is received by Wednesday, Sept. 20. For more information, contact the Wetlands and Waterways Section, 89 Kings Hwy., Dover; by phone at 302-739-9943; or by email at DNREC_Wetlands_Waterways@delaware.gov.