The City of Saco has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin a $45 million project to help mitigate erosion caused by the Saco Jetty.

The City of Saco announced that at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, Colonel Justin R. Pabis of the New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined city staff to sign a Project Partnership Agreement to begin a Section 111 Shoreline Erosion Mitigation project.

The Project Partnership Agreement, or PPA, is a legally binding document between the federal government and a non-federal sponsor -in this case, the city of Saco- for construction of a project.

The news of the signing of the agreement comes after years of discussions regarding a proposed project to offset erosion caused by the Saco Jetty.

“It has been an incredibly arduous road to get to this point,” said David Plavin, vice-president of local shoreline community group SOS Saco Bay. “It is a major accomplishment, and the City of Saco has been unrelenting in its effort for the past five years. We still have a long way to go, but with the PPA signed, the landscape changes and the City has some latitude to move this in the right direction. All hands are on deck and all eyes are on the Army Corps.”

The Saco Jetty, which stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Saco River, was created in the 1800s by the Army Corps to create a clear navigational path for ships going to the then booming Saco and Biddeford mill district. An unintended side-effect of the jetty has been beach erosion on the north side of the structure, caused by displacing wave energy and the natural flow of sand.

The proposed project includes the construction of a 750-foot-long stone spur jetty and an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of sand beach fill, with future sand renourishment on a 10-year cycle, according to a press release from the City of Saco.  The spur jetty will be constructed with the intention to reduce the overall wave energy arriving at Camp Ellis Beach and seaward material removal from the beach.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to sign this historic agreement on behalf of the City of Saco,” said Mayor Jodi MacPhail in a written statement. “Many years of hard work and dedication by countless administrations, federal and state authorities, and our own ‘SOS: Save Our Shores’ volunteer group have helped make this day happen. While not a complete solution, the impact of this remediation cannot be underscored enough and puts Camp Ellis, and Saco, on a path to stability in helping protect our residents, neighborhoods, businesses, and shoreline.”

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at [email protected].

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