SACO — Erosion brought about by the Saco Jetty is often referred to as a Camp Ellis problem, but Saco Mayor Marston Lovell says it should be thought of as a Saco Bay problem.

The Saco River Jetty begins at the mouth of the Saco River on the edge of the Camp Ellis neighborhood in Saco, and extends about 6,600 feet into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay.

The stone jetty, built in the late 1800s, has long been blamed for disrupting the natural flow of sand and causing erosion in the adjacent neighborhood of Camp Ellis, wiping away beach front, streets and properties.

At a Saco City Council workshop on Monday, Lovell said the jetty’s impact on erosion extends far beyond the Camp Ellis region to other beaches in Saco and in 20 years, erosion could impact the beach at The Pier in Old Orchard Beach.

“This is not just a Camp Ellis problem. This is a Saco Bay problem,” said Lovell.

The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed constructing a 750-foot arm, or spur, off the side of the jetty to intercept wave energy and help mitigate erosion. The project would be funded with $26.9 million of federal funds allocated in 2007.

The proposal would come with some conditions – the city would have to pay for any necessary maintenance or repairs on the jetty and would be responsible for future periodic replenishment of beach sand.

According to findings by the Army Corp, Lovell said, the proposed jetty spur would reduce wave energy by about 21 percent near the jetty in Camp Ellis and at about 2,500 feet, or half a mile, north it would reduce wave action by about 9 percent.

“Anything beyond 2,500 feet from the jetty, is not, in their view, a federal problem,” said Lovell.

He said in 1912, it was recognized that the jetty was impacting erosion and a 400-foot spur was constructed. This was “a very ineffective effort to reduce erosion,” Lovell said. And he didn’t think the Army Corps’ proposal of a 750-foot spur would be very effective without the addition of offshore breakwaters, which would be an additional cost and are not part of the Army Corps approved plan.

By defining the project as a Camp Ellis project, Lovell said, the Corps was able to limit the funding to $26.9 million. As a single municipality, the city does not have the clout to stand up to the federal government, he said, but by teaming up with neighboring beach communities and getting the governor on board, a message could be sent to the federal government that “a significant source of state summer revenue is in trouble.”

Councilor Lynn Copeland said while she thought it was a good approach to get neighboring communities involved to try to get a solution to mitigate funding for erosion, she also thought that there needed to be a focused effort in the meantime to help residents who were in danger of losing their homes.

“This is here and now. We’ve been gathering the troops for 100 years. It’s time for some action,” she said.

Research by local residents found that two court cases – one from Cocoa Beach, Florida, and another from Benton Harbor, Michigan – made against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resulted in judgments against the Corps, Lovell said. Instead of a single, one-time construction project appropriation, such as the Corps proposes for Camp Ellis, these judgments required a recurring appropriation.

Previously, the Saco City Council allocated about $25,000 to use for legal fees to help put pressure on the Army Corps for a solution to jetty-caused erosion.

Saco City Administrator Kevin Sutherland said a few thousand dollars had been spent, and at the request of the council on Monday night said the city would research law firms with the expertise needed to pursue a lawsuit against the Army Corps.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.