Erosion at the coast; Shore is a problem

 View from the City Council

The city’s main efforts involve collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers (ACoE). This has been going on for almost as long as the problem has existed. The River and Harbor’s Act of 1962 provided a mechanism (Section 111) by which the federal government could help fix or prevent damage caused by federal navigation projects, such as the jetty at the mouth of the Saco River. While only $5 million was authorized in 1962, the 2007 Water Resources Act specifically authorized up to $27 million for the Camp Ellis Project. 

Since then, a series of studies and communications have occurred, considering more than 26 different options for fixing the erosion caused by the jetty. The final recommendation came in 2016 which consisted of Plan 6 – building a solid spur off the jetty, parallel to the shore. While the proposed cost exceeded the federally allocated $27 million, subsequent negotiations brought the cost down, by not mandating a particular sand replenishment schedule. In 2018 and 2019, the city sent letters to the ACoE asking for additional changes to the proposed plan – which resulted in the ACoE terminating the project.

However, recognizing that additional property loss was imminent, the current council sent a new letter of support to the ACoE fully supporting plan 6 in April 2021. This caused the ACoE to “un-shelve” the project and we are now waiting for a draft of the project partnership agreement, which should be arriving in the next few weeks. While we don’t know what it will say for certain, it is the closest the city has come to finding a solution to the problem. 

However, not everyone is pleased with Plan 6. Skeptics are concerned about several things. First, residents are worried about the cost. While the ACoE would build the spur, future sand replenishment is expensive and, with Plan 6, Saco will be on the hook for that and for any future repairs to the structure. Second, some neighbors up the coast are worried about “end effects,” when solid structures induce erosion due to enhanced wave energy at their edge. While Plan 6 was designed to minimize that, concerns persist. Finally, others simply worry that Plan 6 is not the most effective solution possible, despite the ACoE’s studies.

Hoping to mitigate the cost of sand replenishment and keep the Saco River navigable, advocacy group SOS Saco Bay has put in a request to York County to use federal Covid-relief funds to purchase a regional dredge. If successful, this would reduce our reliance on the ACoE for river dredging, allow us to replenish beach sand as needed, and would provide a source of revenue for the city. Currently, the main obstacle is finding enough regional partners to make it cost effective. Al Sicard, the county commissioner representing Saco has been a great help on this. 

Our elected State delegation has really stepped up to help with these issues. State Rep. Lynn Copeland sponsored L.D. 946 which causes the Governor and the State of Maine to assist Saco in working with the federal government to solve this problem. Peter Slovinsky, the State Marine Geologist, continues to be great asset for Saco. In addition, State Senator Donna Bailey helped acquire $20,000 from the state Attorney General’s office to engage a study by Living Shoreline’s Solutions, a private company whose novel wave attenuation devices (WADs) may provide a cheaper and more effective solution to fighting the erosion. We expect their report in coming weeks also. 

While Camp Ellis residents are going to have to hunker down for the winter storms, hopefully spring will provide some hope. By then, we should be able to make a decision on how to move forward to protect the coastline from further erosion. While the future isn’t certain, the progress is clear. It’s about time.  

Questions? Comments? As always, you can email the whole Council at [email protected] or me directly at [email protected]. 

The views and opinions herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints and opinions of Saco Bay News, its employees, publisher, or advertisers. If you would like to contact the author directly: [email protected]