DMR Solicitation of Public Comment Regarding the West Camp Ellis Anchorage Dredge Project in the Saco River, Saco

Pursuant to 38 M.R.S. §480-D, sub-§9, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) is required to provide the Maine Department of Environmental Protection with an assessment of the impacts on the fishing industry of a proposed dredging operation. The City of Saco is proposing to conduct a maintenance dredge of the West Camp Ellis Anchorage on the Saco River.

Dredging is expected to occur using a using a cutter suction (hydraulic) dredge. The dredged material is sand and will be pumped to Camp Ellis Beach through a .8 mile pipeline. The pipeline will be equipped with floats so that it remains at the surface and will be marked for visibility for navigation. The material will be placed in a 1.6 acre area of Camp Ellis Beach as beneficial beach nourishment.

The total dredged area will be 267,310 square feet with a total volume of 8,000 cubic yards. The area will be dredged to a depth of minus six feet below MLLW with a one-foot overdredge allowance.

Construction will be performed in March 2026 and is expected to take three weeks.

DMR does not anticipate any impact to fishing activity from the dredge site as it is an anchorage, nor with the proposed pipeline which will transport dredge spoils to the upland disposal site but requests that any verbal and written comments about the potential impacts on fishing in the area to be dredged be sent to DMR at the email or mailing address listed below by 5:00 pm, March 1, 2026.

Department of Marine Resources, Attn: Environmental Permit Review, 21 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333 or email: [email protected].

Download a map of the pipeline route (PDF, 560 kb).