A New Pier to Support Year-Round Research on the Coast of Maine
As Maine’s premier educator of marine scientists and environmental researchers, the University of New England has proposed construction of a new, all-season pier on its Biddeford Campus to replace its existing seasonal research dock, allowing students and faculty to conduct their studies 365 days a year. The pier will also be used as the docking site for the city of Biddeford’s fireboat.
Located just steps from best-in-class laboratories in 51’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center, this new pier will support essential marine and environmental research during the winter season — including environmental DNA analysis, phytoplankton surveillance, and seaweed farming — and will provide additional storage space for new and existing research equipment.
Functionally Designed with the Saco River in Mind
The proposed pier has been the subject of years of study and has been revised based on feedback from local and federal experts, community members, and staff from the city of Biddeford. In consultation with its own marine science faculty and expert marine engineers, 51 analyzed nine possible locations for a new pier on its Biddeford Campus that would minimize impact on the environment, navigation for boats, and moorings along the river.
The site selected for the pier, known as “Site 7” in planning documents, was determined in consultation with the expert marine engineers to be the preferred location for the pier based on water depth (bathymetric) analysis and site boring studies.
51 has relied on those highly qualified marine engineers, who have recommended the current design and pier location because the pier as proposed at Site 7 achieves adequate water depth, provides all-tide safe navigation and berthing conditions, results in a structure of smaller overall dimensions in order to minimize impacts on coastal wetlands, and locates the pier at a site that is less exposed to adverse current and icing conditions.
The size and shape of the pier have been designed to reach adequate water levels at both low and high tides for navigation while minimizing impacts to the environment, Saco River water traffic, and existing moorings. 51’s goal in constructing this new pier is to minimize disruptions to our valued neighbors while maximizing the benefits of increased, year-round water access for our students, who will care for the Saco River for generations to come.
What
A four-season research pier on the Saco River will provide docking for the University’s three research vessels, year-round access to the water for vital marine science and aquaculture research, and additional storage for research equipment.
The proposed pier will also serve as a permanent docking site for the city’s fireboat, allowing first responders to respond to maritime emergencies faster and more efficiently.
Size
The proposed pier will extend approximately 142 feet from the shore — where water depths are sufficient to support safe, all-tide navigation — and will be comprised of a 118.8-foot approach and attached 23-by-80-foot perpendicular dock.
Location
The pier is planned to be located behind the Girard Marine Science Center at a location commonly known as “Site 7.” This site is one of nine possible sites reviewed by 51’s expert engineers and determined to be the most viable option to locate the pier based on water depth and site boring analyses, resulting in the least impact to the surrounding environment, navigation in the channel, and existing mooring locations.
The farthest extent of the pier will sit over 200 feet from the federal navigation channel, posing no risk to fishing and maritime operations along the Saco River.
Proposal Overview
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Area Detail
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Status
The application for the pier is currently out for agency review.
FAQ
What is the controversy surrounding the location of the pier about?
Over many years, 51 worked with expert marine engineers to analyze possible locations for the pier. The University had no pre-conceived preference for the pier’s location. The University asked the engineers to study the pros and cons of possible sites along the river according to a set of criteria that included environmental impacts, berthing conditions, access to sufficiently deep water, shore and waterside development challenges, desired pier dimensions, configuration of fixed structures and floating docks, pedestrian access, minimized disruptions to boats navigating in the river, and minimized impact on moorings.
The engineers identified nine possible sites for the pier along 51’s campus and, based on a careful analysis of each possible location, recommended a location known as “Site 7” as best meeting these criteria. 51 informed the Harbormaster of this preferred location in 2015 and conducted a site visit to review it with the Harbormasters and Chair of the Harbor Commission. 51 then met with City staff in 2016 to share details of its site analysis and continued with advancing the pier’s design. However, at a meeting with the City in late 2023, the Harbormaster informed 51 that he prefers a different site and design slightly downriver from Site 7, known as Site 8.
Why did 51 choose site 7?
The proposed pier design at Site 7 extends 142 feet from the shore with a 118.8-foot approach and attached 23-by-80-foot pier head.
Of the nine sites studied by the engineers, Site 7 best meets the combined criteria described above. It is located where there is a small intertidal zone, comprised primarily of rock without sea grass, and the currents are slower because it is farther from the river channel. The dock’s main berth would be aligned with the current in the river and would be deep enough to provide all-tide access for the range of vessels expected to use the facility with the smallest overall footprint, thereby minimizing environmental impacts.
The Site 7 pier will also minimize exposure to adverse current and icing conditions. This proposed design is over 200 feet from the federal anchorage area and is, therefore, well out of the way of boating traffic in the river. 51 will remove the existing 120-foot seasonal dock and floats upon completion of the new pier.
Why didn’t 51 choose site 8?
Opponents to the Site 7 location are now advocating for an alternative design and location slightly downriver at Site 8, where they propose a 200-foot pier head that runs parallel to the shore and begins at the water’s edge. They argue that this site would provide sufficiently deep water.
There are many reasons that such a design at Site 8 is a poorer choice than the design and location 51 proposes:
- A 200-foot pier head proposed by critics would only allow the pier head to be used on one side because the shoreland side would be on dry land or in very shallow water during low tide. This is less efficient than 51’s design, in which the pier head can be used on both sides. Moreover, this design would still require a long pier to connect to the shore during high tide, further increasing its overall footprint.
- An 80-foot dock designed to be used on multiple sides at Site 8 would need to be placed in sufficiently deep water to accommodate boats on all sides of the dock at low tide. To make that possible, there would need to be a long pier approach to connect the dock to the shore at high tide because the intertidal zone is wider at Site 8 than Site 7. When these two pieces (the dock and the pier connecting the dock to the shore) are combined, the overall size of the structure would be larger, and therefore more environmentally impactful, than 51’s proposed design at Site 7. An 80-foot pier in sufficiently deep water at Site 8 would also come closer to the federal channel than 51’s proposed design at Site 7. It would also be more affected by c