A meeting is planned for early November for the public to learn more about the ongoing excavation of petroleum soil and other infrastructure at a former military site in Buxton.
Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District representatives scheduled the meeting to begin at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, at the Fessenden Center in Buxton. The meeting will include remarks, an overview presentation, and a chance for visitors can speak to subject matter experts until 9 p.m.
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The Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Sites property is at the Buxton Beach Access within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The access has been closed since Sept. 1, 2023, because of “petroleum contamination that has been entering the ocean on a recurring basis and the remnants of unsafe military infrastructure,” according to Dare County.
Since the last Corps’ last news release dated Oct. 9, excavation work has continued at the site, and some remnant infrastructure was removed from the beach so the contractors could access and excavate any underlying contaminated soil, according to a news release from the Corps Friday.
“As a reminder, the area is an active construction site,” Terry Brooks, Army Corps of Engineers mechanical engineer and on-site manager, said in a statement. “For safety reasons, it is off-limits to anyone other than those working there or the National Park Service personnel, and the public should remain outside of the roped off area.”
Removed so far from the site are 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipes, 50 feet of cable/wire, 75 feet of listening cable that was used to detect enemy warships off the coast, and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum-soil, Corps officials said. Once all excavations are completed, the contractor will replace any removed sand and restore the beach.
The Coast Guard completed a site inspection report of the former facility, identifying lead in the soil and groundwater near the former small arms range, which belonged to the Navy. The Buxton property does not have any open projects that address the small arms range.
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“In anticipation of creating a new environmental restoration project and to prepare a Project Eligibility Recommendation, the Army Corps of Engineers is gathering information, to include the Coast Guard’s (site inspection) Report, about the small arms range. Project approval is required for environmental restoration activities to occur. The timeline is currently undetermined,” officials said.
