CAMP ELLIS (Nov 14): For 30 years Merrill and Jayne Robbins have watched time and water wear away the coastline near their home on Saco’s Ferry Beach. They’ve watched as the beach disappeared and neighbors lost their homes to the encroaching waves.

Now, with funding approved for a $26.9 million project to modify the Camp Ellis jetty to stop the erosion and replenish the beach, the couple is hopeful a solution is at hand. “I’ve seen it erode away,” said Merrill Robbins. “Hopefully, now, we’ll see it come back.”

Jayne and Merrill Robbins were among the 30 or so people who met with U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, right, on Saturday at Wormwood's Restaurant in Saco. The group was celebrating the funding of a project to reconstruct the jetty at Camp Ellis. Residents hope the project will solve erosion problems in the area. (Photo by Ben Bragdon)

The Robbinses were among the 30 or so people at Wormwood’s Restaurant in Saco Saturday to celebrate the passage of the Water Resources Development Act by Congress. The bill, which was vetoed by President Bush and which included the funding for the Camp Ellis project, was enacted after a Congressional override last week.

Although many details of the project have yet to be worked out, including who will ultimately be responsible for the upkeep of the erosion prevention measures, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could begin work at Camp Ellis by 2009 to create a spur jetty and three off-shore breakwaters designed to deflect waves from Ferry Beach.

Proponents of the project said it will solve erosion problems that threaten the beach and surrounding homes and businesses, while also aiding tourism and business development. They say the federal government, which built the existing jetty in 1869, should fix its mistake. Critics argue, however, that the project will only help a small number of property owners and is not worth the high cost.

At Wormwood’s, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, who helped push the funding through Congress, applauded the work of the Camp Ellis property owners who helped bring attention to the erosion issues.

“You have been living with this, in some cases, for decades,” he told the crowd. “You really ought to take a lot of pride. You’ve really pulled through. You’re a model for citizen involvement.”

Though the funding has been authorized, the money still needs to be passed in an appropriation bill, Allen said. But he is not worried. "There have been a lot of bumps in the road, and I can't promise there won't be any more. But we are on a very, very good path now," he said.

"I think this is an enormous step forward," said Ron Michaud, Saco's mayor-elect. "If we can work collectively as we have so far, we'll get it done."

Michaud told the crowd at the restaurant that the case for the project is clear and is backed by science and research. He will continue to make that case to the residents of Saco, he said.

"The numbers are there," Michaud said. "It takes time to explain that this is really a viable and economical project. It's the right thing to do. Man put it out there and created this problem, and man ought to fix it."

Sandy Bastille, city councilor-elect for Ward 4, which includes Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach, echoed Michaud's comments. She said that the jetty project is not just for a small group of homeowners down by the water. "We've got an entire bay at stake," she said.

Mayor-elect Michaud and Rep. Tom Allen tour Camp Ellis
From the Biddeford Saco OOB Courier