2026-09-12 · Maine · Regulation

What happened. Funding for a $45 million erosion-mitigation project at Camp Ellis Beach in Saco was approved on 16 May 2025, with construction described as beginning in 2026. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will build a 750-foot spur jetty off the existing jetty and place 365,000 cubic yards of beach nourishment.¹

The scale of what it is responding to

• 38 homes lost to the sea over the last century
• The shoreline has receded 400 feet
• The erosion is traced to Army Corps jetty construction and expansion at the mouth of the Saco River, running from 1828 through 1968

That last point is why federal money is here at all. The erosion at Camp Ellis is attributed to federal engineering works, which gives the project a causal story most Maine shorefront erosion does not have.

And who is paying

The project is federally funded through the Army Corps. The reporting we reviewed does not identify any homeowner or association cost-share. Shorefront owners at Camp Ellis have separately pursued FEMA assistance for storm repairs over the years.

For any Maine association with shorefront, that combination — a documented federal cause, decades of political effort, and a specific engineering remedy — is the template, and it is rare.

1. Maine Public, Funding approved for Camp Ellis erosion project (16 May 2025) ↩
2. Maine Public, Will a new spur jetty curb erosion in Camp Ellis, Saco? (24 July 2026) ↩
3. Mainebiz, After decades of erosion, Camp Ellis could get $45M to save homes and beach ↩
4. FEMA, DR-4764-ME — obligated Individual Assistance, Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation figures ↩
5. The Village at Ocean's End Condominium Ass'n v. Southwest Harbor Properties LLC, 2025 ME 85 — official opinion PDF, Maine Judicial Branch ↩