Repairs for storm damage on Saco River in Biddeford could cost $2 million

A screen shot of a photo from a city presentation at Wednesday's Biddeford City Council meeting.

Liz Gotthelf, Publisher•

BIDDEFORD — The city is hoping to get federal and state funds to help pay a potentially $2 million fix for storm damage along the banks of the Saco River.

Over the weekend a storm brought about 6.7 inches of rain, resulting in the washout of a 77 foot stretch of a river wall from the RiverWalk overlook near the North Dam area of the Pepperell Mill campus extending upstream to the smokestack on the mill campus, said Code Enforcement Officer Roby Fecteau in an emergency City Council meeting held over Zoom on Wednesday morning. Fecteau said the city contacted Brookefield Renewable Energy, the owner of hydro dams in the river, to channel much of the water to the east side of the river to help alleviate further erosion.

Public Works Director Jeff Demers said the city needed to "get the ball rolling” to fix the problem and prevent further damage, noting that there was a 240-foot smokestack beside the washed-out area. Demers has reviewed the damage with representatives from Shaws Brothers and CPM Contractors construction firms as well as engineering firm Weston and Sampson, and it’s been estimated that repairs could cost up to $2 million.

"This is big. This is a big deal,” he said.

City Manager Jim Bennett said the damaged area is under a city easement, and the city is completely responsible for its repair. He said he has filed an insurance claim, though he does not anticipate the city will receive any money.

Bennett said a temporary dam to get the water away from the damaged area to allow for evaluation and construction will cost between $400,000 and $500,000. He said the city needs to get the temporary dam up as soon as possible. After the area is studied and recommendations made, the city needs to quickly contract with an outside firm to get the wall rebuilt, said Bennett. He said if the city went the traditional route and went out to bid for the project, the temporary dam would likely have to be removed and then installed again, potentially costing the city an additional $500,000.

The City Council unanimously voted – with Councilor Ashanti Williams absent- to build the temporary dam so the city could investigate the level of repair needed. The city will vote on funding a rebuild project after the inspection has been completed.

Fecteau said the York County Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Emergency Management Agency reviewed the damage, and he was applying for a state emergency declaration. If the declaration is approved, the city would get 75 percent of the project cost reimbursed by federal funds, and 15 percent reimbursed by state funds.

Councilor Marc Lessard said if the city didn’t move forward immediately, it could be spring until any work was done, which could mean buildings at the Pepperell Mill campus could be in jeopardy. Lessard said he thought the city should contact the owner of the Pepperell Mill property to see if they could provide any financial assistance to protect their assets and assure the city was in a good financial state to move quickly.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.