WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Maine Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the construction contract for Camp Ellis to construct a spur jetty.
Senator Collins secured $23 million to prevent erosion at Camp Ellis in Saco in 2025. The funding supports the construction of a 750-foot spur jetty and the replenishment of an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of sand fill. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in August of 2027.
“The awarding of a construction contract is a key step in building a spur jetty at Camp Ellis,” said Senator Collins. “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will protect against the severe erosion that has destroyed dozens of residents’ homes over generations, and restore the receding shoreline.”
“On behalf of the City of Saco, we cannot be more thankful for the hard work, dedication and most of all the support of Senator Collins in her attempt to bring this project to reality. She has been a never-ending advocate in our partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers to secure our jetty in an attempt to protect our shoreline and all the residents who live there,” said Jodi MacPhail, Mayor of Saco.
Background:
Over 150 years ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a jetty extending out from the Saco River, adjacent to Camp Ellis Beach, and expanded it in the 1950s. This jetty altered the pattern of currents and sand deposition and is the primary cause of the severe erosion of Camp Ellis, washing away 38 homes. The 1998 shoreline was 400 feet from where the shoreline stood in 1908.
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