Dredging plan introduced for Saco River

The City of Saco, Maine, is proposing to conduct a maintenance dredge of the West Camp Ellis Anchorage on the Saco River.

According to the City, 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 an 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 Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) said.

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.