In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe, Senator Susan Collins is requesting authorization of $25 million in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. The funds would ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers will have the funds necessary to fully protect the residents and beachfront at Camp Ellis.
Following is the full text of Senator Collins’ letter.
Dear Chairman Boxer and Ranking Member Inhofe,
I am writing to thank you for authorizing funding for the Camp Ellis Beach Restoration Project in Saco, Maine, as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2006, and to request that the Committee specifically authorize $25 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake this important beach restoration effort as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
The safety and well being of the people of Camp Ellis and Saco, Maine, depend on successful action by the Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, it is also precisely because of the Army Corps of Engineers that the safety and well being of this particular community are at risk.
Over 100 years ago, the Army Corps built a jetty extending out from the Saco River, adjacent to Camp Ellis Beach. As has long been known by the residents of Camp Ellis and was recently confirmed by an Army Corps study, this jetty has altered the pattern of currents and sand deposition and is the primary cause of the devastating erosion of Camp Ellis.
The extent of the erosion is truly shocking. Some 36 houses have washed into the sea in the last 100 years. The 1998 shoreline is 400 feet from where the shoreline stood in 1908. The houses that are now in danger were once six or more houses back from the sea.
In recent years, the problem has taken on an even more dire aspect. The beach and dunes have retreated, and the sea advanced, to such an extent that a distinct possibility now exists that a large storm could entirely breach the peninsula and turn Camp Ellis into an island. Such an event would be devastating to the people of Camp Ellis.
I was very pleased that the Honorable John Paul Woodley, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, took the time to tour Camp Ellis with me and see for himself the devastating erosion at this site. It is an extraordinary experience to look out over breaking waves and blue water, knowing that you=re looking at the former site of roads, houses, city blocks, and even a railroad track.
The results of wave -modeling studies undertaken at the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers indicate that at least two structures are likely to be needed to protect Camp Ellis from further erosion and destruction of property. Current data indicate that it will be necessary to build, at a minimum, both an offshore breakwater and a spur coming off the jetty. The total cost of these projects is likely to approach $25 million. I therefore respectfully request that you specifically authorize a minimum of $25 million in order to ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers will have the funds necessary to act upon the best available science and fully protect the residents of Camp Ellis.
I recognize the difficult fiscal situation in which this nation now finds itself, and I know that you will face severe fiscal restraints as you draft this bill. However, I ask that you take into account that this problem was caused by the federal government, through the construction of a jetty at a time in which the erosional impacts of shoreline structures were largely unknown. Although this jetty has served the navigational needs of the nation well over its 100-plus years of existence, it is now time for the federal government to make good on its obligation to help those people who have been negatively impacted by this structure. I therefore ask that you specifically direct the Corps to undertake this project.
On March 13, 2007, I, along with Senator Snowe, introduced the Camp Ellis Beach Restoration Act. This bill would ensure that the Army Corps has the resources and direction necessary to fully protect Camp Ellis. I ask that you incorporate this bill into the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 in order to accomplish the above ends.
I thank you in advance for your assistance on this project. I know I can count on you to work with me to ensure that Camp Ellis once again sees the return of stable beaches. I am sure you will agree that Camp Ellis has waited far too long, and seen far too many homes lost, for this problem to continue unaddressed.
###