Saco breaks ground on long awaited Camp Ellis spur jetty

MAINE PUBLIC • June 30, 2026

The Army Corps of Engineers officially broke ground in Saco today on the new Camp Ellis spur jetty. The new structure is designed to curb the severe erosion that has plagued the seaside community for years. Camp Ellis in Saco is sometimes called the "ground zero" of sea level rise.The original jetty, built nearly 200 years ago to protect the river for boats, inadvertently amplified and redirected waves. During the big storms in 2007, 2023 and 2024, homes and roads were flooded and whole chunks of land swept out to sea. The Army Corps of Engineers says the new jetty will mitigate the power of the waves as the corps take steps to rebuild the beach.