BUXTON, N.C. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is getting to work as officials try to determine the source of petroleum at the site of an abandoned military base in Buxton. Crews will be removing a pipe and sampling the surrounding soil.
Initially, the Army Corps said the work wouldn’t begin until later this year at the earliest, but late last week, it announced an accelerated timeline. A contract has now been awarded and work could be completed later this month.
A group of Army Corps officials visited the site May 1.
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“I wanted to see the site firsthand, and more importantly, I wanted to meet the agency representatives who live and work here,” said Col. Ron Sturgeon, Savannah District Commander, in a news release. “I want them to know, even though it’s a slow process, we are making progress, we take this matter seriously and have made it a priority since it was first reported.”
Surfers and others in the area have reported a diesel smell and have seen a sheen in the water near the Buxton beach access.
Most of the shoreline in Buxton and nearby areas remains open. But a small section of beach —about 3/10 of a mile —has been closed for months.
Erosion from storms last fall exposed the infrastructure of the old base and led to the reported diesel odor. Storms earlier this year also stirred up concerns.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had maintained as recently as last month that it was unclear whether the site would be considered part of its Formerly Used Defense Sites or FUDS program that could help pay for cleaning up the site. That thinking has changed.
But Col. Sturgeon also said that FUDS can’t address any issues caused by storm erosion at the site.
Still, members of the newly formed Buxton Civic Association said the steps by the Army Corps represent progress after months of frustration.
“Things have gone from ‘we’re not even certain this is a FUDS site’ to new signage explicitly declaring it a FUDS site,” said Heather Jennette, a member of the association’s board of directors. “But I think it’s important to note that the removal of one pipe is not a solution. I think what we’re looking for is more testing and a comprehensive plan to completely remediate and restore the area.”
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Members of the civic association have spoken at county commission meetings as part of their advocacy for change. Dare County leaders also traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby federal officials.
“Buxton really hasn’t had a whole lot of representation and I feel like this issue gave us a starting point to jump off and have our voices be heard,” said Wendi Munden, a member of the association’s board of directors.
The civic association will meet with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, Dare County Commissioners and other stakeholders next week to get an update on the progress on the site and the plan moving forward.
