Wood Island Harbor in Biddeford is located in Saco Bay, about 20 miles southwest of Portland Harbor. Biddeford Pool, also in Biddeford, is located about 0.5 miles southwest of Wood Island Harbor and can be reached through "The Gut," a deep, narrow passage between Fort Hill Point on the north and Fletcher Neck to the south. Wood Island Harbor is a popular yachting center and is utilized by recreational and commercial fishing boats.

The project was constructed in Biddeford Pool in 1956. It consists of a six-foot-deep anchorage basin, 9.7 acres in area, directly south of "The Gut" and three stone icebreakers off Fisherman’s Wharf on Fletcher Neck.

The project was modified under the provisions of the Section 107 Small Projects Authority to provide for an entrance channel 4,200 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 10 feet deep from deep water in Wood Island Harbor to a point just inside " The Gut." Dredging was completed in 1992.