The second annual Saco Bay Symposium, to address erosion along the shoreline of the bay, is set for 10 a.m. Friday, online. Andrew Dickinson/City of Saco Photo
SACO — The Second Annual Saco Bay Symposium to gather community stakeholders and leaders to discuss coastal erosion along Saco Bay is set for 10 a.m. March 26, online via the Zoom platform.
It is expected to include conversation and updates on plans to eliminate future erosion at Camp Ellis in Saco and other locations along the bay.
The Saco City Council in September said it wants to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to solve longstanding erosion issues at Camp Ellis, a coastal community within city limits, and unanimously voted to begin by expressing its intent to do so in a letter.
The first symposium was held in February 2020 at Saco City Hall and was attended by officials from various governments and environmental experts. At that time, Rick Millard of the Saco Shoreline Commission said 67 feet of beach had been lost from 2003 to 2019. From 1960 to 2020, there have been 38 homes lost, he said. He estimated that by 2039, the erosion will have moved as far as the Old Orchard Beach Pier.
The Friday symposium is hosted by the City of Saco and co-sponsored by State Sen. Donna Bailey and SOS Saco Bay, Inc.
Saco Communications Director Emily Roy said updates from the Maine Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a discussion of a regional dredging plan, a presentation called “Alternative Solution: Living Shorelines,” and discussions on how to make alternative solutions a reality, are scheduled.
Living Shorelines is seen as an environment friendly solution, Roy said — a protected, stabilized coastal edge made of natural materials such as plants, sand, or rock that could be an alternative to a hard structure being placed in the bay.
Speakers include municipal officials, marine biologist Peter Slovinsky of the Maine Geological Survey; Millard, of Saco Shoreline Commission; SOS Saco Bay President Kevin Roche; Peter Hanrahan of Hanrahan Environmental, LLC; and Living Shorelines Inc. President Scott Bartkowski.
Representatives of the federal Congressional delegation, area state representatives, and local officials will be part of the panel, Roy said. Maine Geological Survey, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Forestry, University of New England, and Southern Maine Coastal Planning Committee are also expected to attend.
To join the online discussion, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82957884446?pwd=OUxoQzJmSUg1cDc0N2tEV0wrNnpiZz09. The webinar ID is 829 5788 4446; passcode is: 820187. And the dial-in number is: (646)558-8656.
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