Posted on February 16, 2026
By Allyson Lapierre
WELLS, Maine (WGME) — Crews are hard at work in Wells Harbor, transporting sand around the bay in part of building up protective barriers along Wells Beach.
“This is an emergency protective measure that is putting sand back in place to help protect against future surge events,” Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the York County EMA Chris McCall said.
McCall says this project funds critical emergency protection for York County coastal communities.
It is the first step of many towards long-term resilience and protection of the coast.
The project is funded by FEMA.
It’s a response to the January 2024 winter storms that left over $100 million worth of damages to areas across coastal York County.
The surge brought record-high tides that destroyed protective dunes and seawalls.
Crews are hard at work in Wells Harbor, transporting sand around the bay in part of building up protective barriers along Wells Beach. (WGME)
Crews are hard at work in Wells Harbor, transporting sand around the bay in part of building up protective barriers along Wells Beach. (WGME)
“The process has been a long-term rebuilding. I think it was a wake-up call for a lot of Maine’s coast about the impact of these coastal storms,” McCall said.
McCall says they are taking these steps to mitigate and prepare themselves for any future storms.
“We are hoping that this step will help build momentum for future projects along other beaches up and down our coastline,” McCall went on.
The York Coastal Restoration Project also incudes plans to dredge along the Saco River and deposit sand at Camp Ellis, as well as trucking sand and planting dunes at Old Orchard Beach.
