Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $23 million for the Maine Army Corps of Engineers to prevent erosion at Camp Ellis in Saco. This funding, which was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 full-year continuing resolution, supports the construction of a 750-foot spur jetty and the replenishment of an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of sand fill.
“The construction of a spur jetty at Camp Ellis will help to prevent the severe erosion that has destroyed dozens of residents’ homes over generations,” said Senator Collins. “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will help to resolve this problem, protect property, and restore the receding shoreline.”
“On behalf of the City of Saco, we cannot be more thankful for the hard work and dedication to Senator Collins for the securing of these funds. 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.
“The City of Saco is very appreciative of Senator Collins’ hard work of releasing funding for the Camp Ellis project, now as a community we can look and move forward,” said John Bohenko, Saco City Administrator.
More than 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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