York County Maine Government: Dune repairs start in November

York County Maine Government said that the dredging operations and associated work to repair coastal dune devastation stemming from a pair of voracious storms in January 2024 are to begin sometime in November.

The dunes provide a protective barrier from the elements. The storms on January 10 and 13 battered the coastline.

“The dunes did their job, but were destroyed by the storms,” said York County Emergency Management Agency Director, Art Cleaves. “Without the dunes, the damage would have been much worse.”

With required permits are in hand, dredging and associated work like beach nourishment will commence in Wells and then move to Camp Ellis Beach in Saco.

According to the officials, beach nourishment will also take place in Old Orchard Beach.

In Wells, 7,600 cubic yards of sand will be moved from inside Wells Harbor to Wells Beach.

Dredging the Wells Harbor channel will remove sand  that had been deposited there by the storms, and will be used to stabilize Wells Beach. That will be followed by the planting of 126,000 dune grass seedlings to provide further protection for the dunes and also for the shorebirds.

At Camp Ellis, Saco Public Works Director Travis Moore said that there will be two projects ongoing – the county dredging project, with 1,200 cubic yards, and a separate additional beach nourishment project with 5,000 cubic yards.

The dredging season is November through March.

The dredger will be operated by Michel’s Construction of Brownville, Wisconsin, as voted by York County Commissioners last year.