Posted on May 29, 2018
By Liz Gotthelf, Journal Tribune
Homeowners in Camp Ellis continue to wait as they have for decades for a solution to mitigate erosion in the coastal community.
The Saco River Jetty, which extends about 6,600 feet into the Atlantic Ocean from the mouth of the Saco River, has long been blamed for disrupting the natural flow of sand and causing erosion along the coast line in Camp Ellis, a seaside community north of the jetty. The jetty was built in the 1870s by the Army Corps of Engineers to create a smoother shipping channel in the Saco River.
Over the past century, beach front, streets, and more than 30 homes have been lost as the coastline has worn away.
The federal government earmarked $27 million for a mitigation project in 2007. After much study, the Army Corps of Engineers has recommended a project to offset erosion that would include a 750 foot spur off the side of the jetty. However, the expenditure for the of funds has not been authorized, and the project has not moved forward.
Frustrations ran high for many Camp Ellis residents and property owners who attended a public meeting at City hall on Wednesday.
“It’s the largest man-made environmental disaster in the state of Maine,” said Camp Ellis home owner Steve Coravos.
Not only have homes and several hundred feet of the beach vanished, Coravos said, but the city has lost tax revenue. The problems were caused by a federal government project, and it was long overdue for the federal government to fix the problem, he said.
“How long is too long,” Coravos said. “Now is the time.”
City officials and representatives from two U.S. senators office, said progress has been made, and a report on the project will finally make it to the Army Corps headquarters office in Washington, D.C., next week.
Once headquarters approves a project proposal, the Army Corps of Engineers will meet with the city of Saco, said Alex Pelczar, a representative from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office. Once a partnership between the city and the Army Corps is signed, the Army Corps can put the project in its work plan, and when the expenditure of money is approved, the project can move forward.
Even if this all falls into place soon, it’s likely that work on the project won’t begin until 2020.
A proposal to authorize an additional $5 million to the project was approved in committee, and was expected to go before the Senate in July, said Bonnie Pothier, a York County representative for U.S. Sen. Angus King. If the money is approved, it will likely be used for beach replenishment, should the project move forward, city officials said.
Some members in the audience were critical of the federal delegates, and the representatives from the U.S. senator’s offices said they were committed to help the residents.
“We can advocate, but we can’t dictate,” Pelczar said.
A separate project which would provide sand temporarily to Camp Ellis was also discussed at Wednesday night’s meeting.
Craig Martin, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the second half of a project to dredge the Saco River would start in November and last about three months. Sand from the dredging project would be used to replenish a stretch of beach on the north side of the jetty, and could add 100 feet of sand to the beach. Results would depend on storm activity, but the replenishment could last four to five years, Martin said.
Source: Journal Tribune
