SACO – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which says the 6,660-foot jetty it built in 1869 is likely responsible for beach erosion, has zeroed in on three strategies for fixing the problem at Camp Ellis.

The news is encouraging to coastal property owners who’ve watched for years as the beach has shrunk, bringing water lapping to their doorsteps.

“We’ve never gotten to the point where the corps has admitted there was a problem, so that’s a major step,” said Richard Milliard, a Camp Ellis resident and member of the city’s shoreline commission.

The report, dated January 2006 but released a year later because of budget constraints, details 25 possible fixes. Since it was completed, the corps has identified three strategies as potential winners, said Richard Heidebrecht, a project manager with the corps office in Massachusetts.