Saco Army Corps project moving forward despite federal funding uncertainties

The Saco Jetty, as seen in this Saco Bay News file photo.

Liz Gotthelf, Publisher•

Despite uncertainties regarding the federal budget, the Army Corps of Engineers remains hopeful that a $45 million project to help mitigate coastal erosion in Saco will continue as planned.

In January 2024, the City of Saco and the Army Corps signed an agreement for a project to help offset erosion caused by the Saco Jetty. The jetty spans 6,600 feet into the Atlantic Ocean from the mouth of the Saco River and was built in the 1800s to create a clear navigational channel for ships traveling to the mills in Saco and Biddeford.

The jetty came with some unwanted side effects. The rock structure has caused significant coastal erosion over the years by displacing wave energy and the natural movement of sand.

The $45 million project would create a spur jetty perpendicular to the main jetty that would stretch off the side of the main structure like an arm. The plan also includes periodic deposits of sand, or “beach nourishment,” to strengthen the coast.

The local Army Corps project was one of several topics discussed at the Saco Bay Symposium at Saco City Hall on Monday morning.

Pam Buck, representing U.S Senator Susan Collins (R), said while President Donald Trump has advocated cuts in federal spending, recent budget discussions had not included fiscal year 2025 congressional directive spending like the money allocated for the jetty project. She said she did not know what that meant for plans like the Saco Army Corp project, but her office hoped to a have a statement later this week once it had more information.

Pam Trinward, representing U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) said a current federal bill suggested cutting the Army Corp of Engineer’s Construction budget by 44 percent, and there was discussion on the federal level of potential elimination of previously passed constituent -directed funding.

She said she didn’t know how potential changes in federal funding would impact the Saco project.

“I just want to warn everyone we’re fighting as hard as we can to save as much as we can,” she said. “…we do feel like we’re all in a little bit of dangerous trouble here. I just wanted to be honest and upfront.”

She said she’s been working for Pingree for 12 years, and had been working on the jetty project for all of her tenure with the congresswoman.

“I’d be thrilled to see it come to fruition because I kept saying I could retire when it was done, but it doesn’t look good right now,” said Trinward.

Sarah Stanley, representing U.S. Senator Angus King (I) reiterated that there was a lot of unanswered questions at this time but said she encouraged people to talk to her and ask questions and King’s office would get as many answers as possible.

US Army Corps of Engineers New England District Chief of Navigation Jenifer Thalhauser reported that the Army Corps was on schedule with its timeline for the Saco project.

She said the Army Corps had passed “a number of big milestones” in the past year. Borings were done to assess the stability of the ocean floor where the spur jetty will be constructed, she said. Wave modeling depicting six different storm scenarios were completed and the information gathered was critical in creating the design of the spur jetty, she said.

“We are proceeding full speed ahead to get to a point where we are ready to advertise a contract this fall,” said Thalhauser. “We need (federal) funding in order to advertise the contract but we are going to assume that we are going to get it and we’re just going to keep moving without any delays.”