Posted on September 10, 2025
ALFRED – Dredging operations and associated work to repair coastal dune devastation stemming from a pair of voracious storms in January 2024 are to begin sometime in November.
The dunes provide a protective barrier from the elements. The storms on January 10 and 13 battered the coastline.
“The dunes did their job, but were destroyed by the storms,” said York County Emergency Management Agency Director Art Cleaves. “Without the dunes, the damage would have been much worse.”
With required permits in hand, dredging and associated work like beach nourishment will commence in Wells and then move to Camp Ellis Beach in Saco. Beach nourishment will also take place in Old Orchard Beach.
It is welcome news to the municipalities and to YECMA. Cleaves said the projects have been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under its Emergency Protective Measures program, which means costs are reimbursable under FEMA, an arrangement that sees the federal agency pick up 75 percent of the tab. The Maine Emergency Management Agency will contribute 15 percent, leaving municipalities with a 10 percent contribution.
In Wells, 7,600 cubic yards of sand will be moved from inside Wells Harbor to Wells Beach. Dredging the Wells Harbor channel will remove sand that had been deposited there by the storms. The sand will be used to stabilize Wells Beach. That will be followed by the planting of 126,000 dune grass seedlings to provide further protection for the dunes and also for the shorebirds.
At Camp Ellis, Saco Public Works Director Travis Moore said there will be two projects ongoing – the county dredging project, with 1,200 cubic yards, and a separate additional beach nourishment project with 5,000 cubic yards.
“These projects will provide us with some protection,” said Moore. “This is a very good thing.”
“The Town of Wells is looking very forward to the upcoming dredge of Wells Harbor and the dune stabilization that will result,” said Town Manager Michael Pardue. Wells – both the municipality with public infrastructure, as well as private property owned by residents – suffered hefty damages in the storms.
Pardue said restoration of the beaches and dunes alone has been estimated at $8 million. He said the sole area qualifying for FEMA assistance under Emergency Protective Measures is Wells Beach, which has an estimated replacement cost of more than $2 million.
While the entire combined financial estimates of Wells’ public and private damage was difficult to determine, Pardue said together, the figure exceeds $45 million. Dunes, public and private seawalls, and roads suffered heavy damages in the storms, and 17 homes were deemed uninhabitable – many more sustained damage.
Cleaves said the Old Orchard Beach project doesn’t include dredging, but sand will be trucked in to repair the dunes from a sand pit in the general region, as regulations mandate that replacement sand match what is currently there in size, grain and color.
He recalled the YCEMA team’s trip to Old Orchard Beach to see the damage in the days after the January 2024 storms.
“We met with people who live on the water – they said before the storms when they looked out, they saw the berm…. after the storms, the berm was gone, and the water flowed into the street,” Cleaves recalled.
The dredging season is November through March.
The FEMA Emergency Protective Measures program provides five-year flood protection, said Cleaves. Ultimately, York County EMA is looking for ways and means the coastal municipalities can get to 100-year flood protection.
The dredge will be operated by Michel’s Construction of Brownville, Wisconsin, as voted by York County Commissioners last year. The company is familiar with the area, having performed previous federal navigation projects in several coastal communities.
Well before the devastating storms, in 2022, commissioners voted to purchase a dredge with $1.54 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help combat coastal erosion, nourish beaches with sand, and help keep waters navigable.
The county recently acquired a former military surplus vessel that was no longer being used from the town of Wells as a push boat to accompany the dredge.
Pardue said the partnership between the town of Wells and York County government, along with state and federal agencies, has proven to be invaluable.
“The upcoming dredge is a prime example of these relationships,” he said. Pardue also thanked the selectboard, staff and others for their work. “The dunes serve as a very significant line of defense for our coastline,” he said.
“I’m happy to see this move forward,” said York County Manager Greg Zinser. “This project has taken an enormous amount of work and time, and I tender my thanks to Art (Cleaves) and his crew, (engineering firm) Anchor QEA, and the cities and towns for their work.”
