The Outer Banks Voice – Army Corps Announces November 4th Public Meeting on Buxton Cleanup

By story submitted on October 19, 2024

(USACE Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has set the date, time and location for a public meeting regarding the ownership of the Buxton Naval Installation Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), while its response continues at the oceanfront property located on North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The meeting takes place at the Fessenden Center, 46830 North Carolina Highway 12, Buxton, NC, on November 4th. Opening remarks and general presentation begin at 7 p.m. and community members can visit informational tables and speak with subject matter experts from the Corps of Engineers and other agency stakeholders until 9 p.m. During the meeting, community members will also be able to learn about the process of establishing a Restoration Advisory Council (RAD) and its roles.

Since the last press release (October 9), excavation work has continued on the FUDS property and some remaining infrastructure has been removed from the beach so that contractors can access and excavate any underlying contaminated soil. To date, approximately 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipe, 50 feet of cable/wire, 75 feet of “listening cable” and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum soil have been removed from the construction site. Once all excavation is complete, the contractor will replace the removed sand and restore the beach.

“As a reminder, the area is an active construction site,” said Terry Brooks, Army Corps of Engineers mechanical engineer and site manager. “For safety reasons, it is off limits to anyone other than those who work there or National Park Service personnel, and the public must remain outside the cordoned off area.”

Lastly, the U.S. Coast Guard recently completed a Site Inspection Report of its former facility known as Old Group Cape Hatteras, and identified that lead is present in the soil and groundwater near the former small arms range, which was owned by the Navy.

Currently, the Buxton Naval Installation FUDS estate does not have an open project covering the range of small arms. In anticipation of creating a new environmental restoration project and preparing a Project Eligibility Recommendation, the Army Corps of Engineers is collecting information, to include the Coast Guard SI Report, on the range of small arms. Project approval is required for environmental restoration activities to occur. The timeline is currently undetermined.

SEE ALSO: Progress in Buxton, but doubts remain