Since September 1, 2023 an area of the beach in Buxton has been closed due to public health concerns. Testing done as a result of visible debris and the strong smell of fuel yielded results of petroleum hydrocarbons at levels greater than 65 times the actionable level. Since that time, members of the Buxton community as well as local and state authorities have pushed for action to remediate and restore the area.
The area of concern was used by the US Navy from 1956-1982 under what is known as a Special Use Permit (SUP). The terms of this SUP dictated that the area be restored to its original condition after use. In 1982, the Navy relinquished use of the property and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) adopted the area as Coast Guard Station Group Cape Hatteras. However, the USCG did not assume ownership or responsibility of several buildings and grounds, including those which are responsible for the current issues. The area falls into the category of a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) – a designation that deems the US Army Corp of Engineers responsible for cleanup and restoration.
In a communication dated January 2005, the US Army Corp of Engineers acknowledges its responsibility of this FUDS – as well as admitting that it failed to completely restore it as mandated by the Special Use Permit. They state; “Area I was not excavated to the full extent as presented in the Workplan due to the presence of underground concrete slabs and critical utilities”.
The US Army Corp of Engineers deployed an emergency response team in Fall 2024 to immediately address the petroleum contamination. In order to try and locate the source of the petroleum and access contaminated sand, the USACE has removed a significant amount of the physical infrastructure and debris. You can access the USACE press release here:
There have many failures and intentional misdirection and misleading at multiple levels since 1998 when the area was declared a FUDS. However, the recent closure of the beach to the public, the visible and dangerous debris, and the strong odor of petroleum and sheen on the ocean have forced this community to take action. Several other entities including the National Park Service, United States Coast Guard, and the Southern Environmental Law Center have all endorsed the notion that this is a public health and environmental emergency, and the US Army Corp of Engineers is directly responsible for resolving the problem they created. The residents and visitors of this federally protected National Park cannot afford to wait out the red tape, bureaucracy, blame-shifting, stalling, and denial tactics that the US Army Corp of Engineers have employed thus far. The time to act is now.
Click Here for a List of Contacts and a Link to Change.org
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