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

Published Jan. 29, 2018

CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is proposing to stabilize approximately 1,500 feet of shoreline that is eroding at the Pleasant Point Reservation near Perry, Maine. The Pleasant Point Reservation is home to members of the federally recognized Passamaquoddy Tribe and the erosion is threatening to damage their homes and other facilities. The work is being proposed under the Section 14 Emergency Shoreline Protection Program.

 

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 riprap revetment. Tribe-owned facilities may be at risk from further erosion unless immediate action is taken to stabilize the shoreline.

 

The 36-foot wide stone riprap revetment design consists of a geotextile fabric overlain by an 18-inch layer of core stone, an 18-inch layer of under stone and a 42-inch thick layer of armor stone riprap on a 1:1.5 vertical to horizontal 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 tribe-owned Waste Water Treatment Plant.

 

The 1,500-foot-long 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 long-term stability of the current revetment design, fetch-limited wave modeling and an evaluation of extreme water levels was conducted. Armor stone was sized in accordance with current standards and was based on water levels and wave heights associated with a 75-year coastal storm event.

 

Three alternatives were evaluated in the draft Environmental Assessment: no action, relocation of existing housing, and construction of a revetment. The construction of a 1,500-foot riprap revetment along the eroding shoreline to protect tribal housing is expected to have minimal environmental effects, will protect housing and was less expensive than relocating housing and therefore, was determined to be the preferred alternative.

 

A draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) are available for review at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Pleasant-Point-Shoreline-Protection-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 Passamaquoddy. 

 

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

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices.aspx under Planning public notices.

 

Public comments on this proposed shoreline stabilization project should be forwarded no later than Feb. 27, 2018 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Planning Division (ATTN: Mr. Kevin Foster), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751 or by email to kevin.b.foster@usace.army.mil.


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

Release no. 18-003