Webcam installation in Saco enhances coastal monitoring

Scientists and interested community members can keep an eye on Saco’s coastline from their computer screen with the recent installation of two new webcams in Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach. 

The two webcams were installed by the Northeast Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) and the Webcam Coastal Observation System network (WEBCOOS) through a partnership between the Maine Geological Survey and the National Weather Service. The project’s purpose is to enhance the monitoring of coastal change and storm impacts.

The two cameras will provide critical visual data for ongoing research and coastal management efforts, according to a press release from NERACOOS.

One camera is pointed to the north to monitor storm impacts and changes to Ferry Beach. Video from this camera will be analyzed to identify the increasing or decreasing trends in beach width and be used to validate the National Weather Service’s wave run-up model for Ferry Beach, according to the press release.

The livestream for Ferry Beach camera can be found here.

The second camera, facing south, will monitor wave patterns around the Saco Jetty and waves that overtop the sea wall during storms. In the future the camera will help monitor changes resulting from an added spur jetty to be constructed as part of an erosion mitigation project by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The livestream for the Camp Ellis camera can be found here.

“This resource aids in forecasting hazardous storms along southern Maine’s beaches,” said John Cannon, former Senior Meteorologist and Marine Program Manager, NWS Gray in a written statement. “The webcam in Camp Ellis in Saco offers real-time feedback to emergency officials and has already proven valuable during a severe winter storm. Its imagery is crucial for monitoring large waves, enabling the National Weather Service to protect Maine’s citizens and property”

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