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Corps of Engineers plans shoreline protection project at Pleasant Point Reservation near Perry

Published Dec. 20, 2019

CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District plans to stabilize approximately 1,500 feet of shoreline that is eroding at the Pleasant Point Reservation near Perry, Maine.  The work is being implemented under the Section 14 Emergency Shoreline Protection program. The Pleasant Point Reservation is home to members of the federally recognized Passamaquoddy Tribe.

 

The purpose of the proposed emergency shoreline protection project is to prevent ongoing shoreline erosion in front of tribal housing, a church, and a senior center at the Pleasant Point Reservation in Washington County, Maine by constructing a 1,500-foot long revetment. Tribal owned-facilities may be at risk from further erosion unless immediate action is taken to stabilize the shoreline.

 

The 1,500-foot long and 36-foot wide stone revetment design consists of a geotextile fabric overlain by a 6- inch layer of gravel stone, a 12-inch thick double layer of underlayer stone, and a 27-inch thick double layer of 1.0 ton armor stone on a IV: 2H slope. Construction is expected to take four to six months. Construction will be completed during the low portion of the tidal cycle. The proposed revetment will tie into the southern section of a newly constructed 300-foot revetment in front of the tribal owned Waste Water Treatment Plant.

 

The revetment will be located within the same footprint as a previous revetment constructed by the Corps in 1987 that failed due to deficiencies in armor stone shape, size and weight and lack of stone bedding. To assure the long-term stability of the current revetment design, fetch­limited wave modeling, and an evaluation of extreme water levels was conducted. Armor stone was sized in accordance with current standards in the Coastal Engineering Manual and was based on water levels and wave heights associated with a 75-year coastal storm event. A wave run-up analysis was also performed to assess the structure's susceptibility to wave overtopping and to design the splash apron landward of the crest.

 

Copies of the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact are available at this website: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Pleasant-Point-Shoreline­Protection-Project/.

 

The Passamaquoddy Tribe has occupied the area bordering on Passamaquoddy Bay as far back as 14,000 years ago. There are two federally recognized Passamaquoddy Tribes in Maine, the Pleasant Point and Indian Township Reservations. Each is a distinct sovereign unit with their own government and services. Located at the confluence of Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bay, the Pleasant Point peninsula has always been a traditional seasonal fishing village to the Passamaquoddy. Consultation with the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer was completed and this project was determined to have no impact on cultural and historical concerns of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

 

The Corps has submitted to the State its determination that the proposed Emergency Shoreline Protection program project will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable enforceable policies of the Maine Coastal Program, including pertinent standards under the Natural Resources Protection Act and state water quality laws. The Corps' submission will be filed for public inspection at DEP's office in Portland, Maine during normal working hours. A copy of the submission may also be seen at the municipal offices in Town of Wells, Maine. Written public comments regarding the USACE's consistency determination may be submitted to: Shannon Smith, Department of Environmental Protection, MDEP, Eastern Maine Regional Office, 106 Hogan Road, Bangor, Maine 04401.

 

The proposed work is being coordinated with: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Marine Fisheries Service; Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Coastal Program; the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Pleasant Point; and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.

 

The public notice, with more detailed information, is available for review on the Corps website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices/.

 

Public comments on this proposed shoreline stabilization project should be forwarded no later than Jan. 25, 2020 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Planning Division (ATTN: Mr. Kevin Foster), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. For more information contact Mr. Kevin Foster at 978-318-8621 or by email to kevin.b.foster@usace.army.mil.


Contact
Tim Dugan
978-318-8264
cenae-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 19-100