BUXTON, N.C. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting geophysical work this week to identify any potential fuel distribution components including pipes that remain at the Buxton Naval Facility.
It’s a “Formerly Used Defense Site” (FUDS) property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Dare County.
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A stretch of beach in Buxton that's smaller than a half-mile has been closed for months after erosion from storms exposed some remnants of the base and people in the area reported a fuel smell.
In May, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and National Park Service met with Buxton residents to address concerns about potential contamination at the old base.
The Buxton Naval Facility was used by the U.S. Navy as a submarine monitoring station. The Department of Defense (DoD) acquired it from the National Park Service in 1956.
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It closed in 1982 and then the U.S. Coast Guard used the property until 2010, where it was then returned to NPS.
“We completed pipe removal work at the Buxton FUDS property last month, which included soil sampling. Currently, the contractor is waiting to receive the raw data from the laboratory. Once that is received and reviewed, final results will be shared with the community.”
Resident Brian Harris lives near the beach and told News 3, “We gotta’ get the beach cleaned up. Get this parking lot opened back up. This is not good publicity for Buxton.”
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Harris also said that some homeowners who rent to tourists are seeing cancellations, and believes it’s due to the potential contamination nearby.
The Army Corps of Engineers says that in addition to current work happening, they will perform a comprehensive sampling at the site sometime later this year. Once the geophysical work is finished, they say the results will help them draft a plan. The contract to perform the additional work is anticipated to be awarded in October 2024.
“It would all be based upon that sampling shows. It could be no action. It could be removal actions. It could be long-term remediation actions,” said Sara Keisler, Program Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District Formerly Used Defense Sites.
Keisler said that could mean excavation. She added, “The FUDs program is dedicated to protecting human health and the environment and we will continue to work with our stakeholders along with our regulatory agencies to continue to remediate the site.”
