BUXTON, NC. — "No parking" and "area closed" signs greet any visitor trying to get to the beach access at the end of Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton. The area has been closed since September 2023 due to a petroleum leak at a former military facility that has been unearthed due to past storms and erosion in the area.
Outer Banks residents made their way into the Dare County Administration Building and others joined virtually in Buxton for Tuesday morning's monthly Board of Commissioners meeting.
The expectation was to hear results of work that started in May by the Army Corps of Engineers at a former military facility on Buxton Beach related to finding the source of a petroleum leak.
Watch: Federal agencies vow more action to clean-up old military base site in Buxton
“I know you’re primarily interested in the finding results for the overall soil samples that we took when we removed the pipe. Those results are not finalized yet," said Col. Ron Sturgeon, the Savannah District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers.
"This doesn't make sense. That's the frustration that our citizens are feeling, is the fact that it's been four months and the folks that are supposed to review this haven't gotten the report," said Bob Woodard, chair of the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
"The timeline has really been the caveat. I think that's really been frustrating most everybody in this whole situation. I know that government entities move very slow, and I've been told that this is actually fast for the Army Corps of Engineers, but having been living through it since September 1 of last year, when they closed our beach, this is not that. There is nothing expedited about this and it's sad that we're here and that we're hearing (in) October we might hear something," said Wendi Munde, with the Buxton Civic Association.
Watch: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracks work at Buxton military base site
Despite a lack of answers, work has been done to find the source of a petroleum leak near a former military base at Buxton Beach. Sturgeon shared that teams removed a 70-foot pipe, done geophysical work and soil sampling.
"The pipe that was thought to be the possible source when it was removed, our team has not been able to identify the source of petroleum significant enough to cause the volume of saturated organic material that has previously washed up on the overall shore, which further reinforces the need for more comprehensive testing," said Sturgeon.
Though more comprehensive testing is in store for the fall and winter, Buxton residents are made aware of the presence of petroleum almost daily.
"I walked out here this morning and I smelled petroleum so bad that it made me want to gag. Seeing structures that are shoulder high, sticking up out of the ground, and hearing that they're not going to take those out, that's sad," said Munden.
Watch: Dare County leaders seek answers from federal officials about Buxton Beach concerns
The feeling from commissioners and residents now is something needs to be done as soon as possible.
“This is something that is an environmental issue, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I'd like to see other organizations come in, EPA, come in and declare this, an environmental act, and just take care of it," said Munden.
The expectation is results from the May tests will come out in the coming months. The Army Corps also will be contracting further comprehensive testing for the area in October and is working to put together a restoration advisory board in the fall as well.
“I understand the frustrations in the process that we're going through, but I will tell you that there is a way ahead," said Sturgeon.
Watch: Dare County hopes Buxton base closure doesn't impact summer tourism
A thought initially was that funding from the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program could be used to clean-up the exposed structures, but that doesn’t apply to places with storm erosion. When asked about it today, Sturgeon shared that is still the case.
"FUDS will not touch the non-contaminated remnants of structures. It just leaves us feeling very, very frustrated and disappointed," said commissioner Rob Ross.
For commissioners and residents the feeling is that this process needs to be accelerated, even if that means going to Federal and State representatives to help make that happen.
"God bless our residents on Hatteras Island. ...I wish that there was something stronger that this board could do. ...Somehow you have to express that same frustration that our board has and our representatives have of why this is taking so long, I cannot say enough, it is totally unacceptable," said Bob Woodard, chairman of the Dare County Commissioners.
