UNE‑backed wave gauges proposed so Saco can measure jetty impacts; city asked to buy equipment and sign MOU

The Saco Shoreline Commission and University of New England researchers asked the council to approve buying two wave gauges to monitor the Army Corps jetty’s effect on local wave energy and beach erosion.

David Plavin, chair of the Shoreline Commission, said the Army Corps will not provide sustained monitoring and the city needs independent data to judge the jetty’s performance. Will Katitsky of UNE described the instruments — bottom‑mounted pressure sensors that sample at 30 Hz and can resolve wave height changes to roughly a third of a millimeter — and described a deployment plan placing one sensor ocean‑side and one land‑side of the proposed spur.

UNE sought a city purchase of the physical instruments and proposed an MOU under which UNE would pay deployment and analysis costs and process the data. Katitsky said the manufacturer has units in stock for immediate shipment and that sensors can be retrieved by boat for data downloads; real‑time telemetry would be technically costly. He also identified risks: sensors rely on a surface buoy and mooring that can be lost in storms and do not currently include tracking locators.

Councilors asked whether the data would be used to press the Army Corps if the jetty underperforms. Katitsky and Plavin said the primary purpose is to provide the city its own dataset to guide beach‑management decisions; if the structure demonstrably fails to meet modeled wave reductions, the city could use that evidence in follow‑up with the Corps. Staff said they are drafting an MOU to clarify roles and costs.

Council agreed to bring the proposal back as an agenda item for a future meeting to consider authorizing equipment purchase and the MOU.