David Plavin, VP of SOS Save Our Shores, gave a presentation on Camp Ellis at the organization’s second annual conference on Sept. 27. Eloise Goldsmith photo

SACO — Students and environmentalists of all stripes gathered for the second annual Shoreline Conference on Wednesday, Sept 27 — which featured an update about a long-awaited project to mitigate coastal erosion in Saco.

The hosts of the conference, a coastline preservation group called SOS Saco Bay, has long fought to combat shoreline erosion at Camp Ellis, a coastal community which is part of Saco at the mouth of the Saco River. Over 150 years ago the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a jetty at Camp Ellis which accelerated coastal erosion of the shore.

Vice President of SOS Saco Bay David Plavin announced that the city is currently reviewing a draft project agreement that would see the Army Corps of Engineers construct a 750-foot spur jetty off the existing jetty to mitigate the erosion. Plavin called the Army Corps of Engineers less than enthusiastic partners in finding a permanent solution to the erosion.

On Monday, Plavin addressed Saco City Council, urging the city to sign the agreement “insure that this is done in a timely manner” ahead of an Oct. 31 signing deadline. At the conference, Plavin said SOS Saco Bay advised the city against signing the draft in its current form, citing unkept promises by the Army Corps of Engineers, but he struck a more urgent tone in his address to City Council this week.

In addition to an update from Plavin, last week’s conference attendees heard from lawmakers and environmental researchers about efforts to mitigate coastal erosion.

The day kicked off with a keynote address from State House Representative Lori Gramlich, who represents Old Orchard Beach in the Maine Legislature. She touted state efforts to mitigate threats to coastline, including “Maine Won’t Wait,” the state’s four year climate action plan. She also highlighted one of her own initiatives, bill LD 478, a measure that will strengthen sand dune restoration efforts, which became law in May of this year.

The conference also included a separate program of speakers for students, about 25 of whom were registered to attend.

Plavin spoke after Gramlich, providing some background on the erosion at Camp Ellis.

The jetty at Camp Ellis, which juts 6,600 feet into the ocean from the beach, amplifies the destructive energy of the ocean waves. Over many decades, the jetty has directed powerful storm surges into the coast, eroding the shoreline. The erosion has led to the destruction of 39 homes.

For a long time, the Army Corps of Engineers maintained that the jetty was not the problem, Joseph Kelley, a professor emeritus at the University of Maine’s earth sciences department, told Maine Public in 2021. At the conference, Plavin echoed Kelley’s remarks about the Army Corps, saying that they’ve never been eager to take action to stop the damage at Camp Ellis.

Jetty remediation has been in the works since 2007, when Congress earmarked $26.9 million to shore up Camp Ellis after the Patriot Day storm, but the money was never appropriated. The project languished for over 10 years.

The effort has been given new life thanks to Congress. In 2022, Maine Senator Susan Collins added $45 million in funding to the Nation Defense Authorization Act, which sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense, earmarked for finding a permanent solution to the erosion at Camp Ellis. If an agreement is reached between the city of Saco and the Army Corps of Engineers, the corps will use the sum to construct a spur jetty to combat erosion and replenish a portion of the beachfront. The spur jetty will stick out perpendicular from the existing jetty, forming a T, to diminish the impact of the waves.

Last month, the Army Corps of Engineers sent a draft project partnership agreement to the city of Saco, outlining the work of building the spur jetty and spelling out the obligations of both parties. The city is currently reviewing the document and will have the opportunity to suggest changes. SOS Saco Bay is not a formal party to the agreement; its role has been attempting to influence the process from the outside and support the city, said Plavin.

At the conference, Plavin said he advised the city against signing the deal in its current form. “Promises were made (by the Army Corps of Engineers) prior to release of the project partnership agreement that were not kept,” he said during his presentation. He said SOS Save Saco Bay is in wait and see mode while the city reviews the plan.

“That are a lot of moving pieces. I think the story is why did it take the Army Corp so long.”

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