Hatteras Islanders reminded to take Buxton FUDS Restoration Advisory Board Survey before Dec. 4 deadline

In early November, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District launched an online survey designed to gauge the Outer Banks community’s interest in establishing a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) property located within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The deadline for completing the survey is Wednesday, December 4.

According to a Corps’ 1998 Procedures Manual, as well as a 2007 Handbook from the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the purpose of a RAB is to create a line of communication between local communities and the agencies responsible for cleaning up sites that were previously used by the Department of Defense (DoD). Because the Buxton Beach site is part of the FUDS program, the USACE is responsible for addressing the petroleum contaminants related to Navy activity from 1956-1982.

As outlined by the USACE at a November 4 meeting, RABs are designed to bring the community together—in a more formal and structured manner than a typical public meeting—to enable the exchange of restoration information between regulatory agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and interested community members.

Although they are not a decision-making group, members of a Restoration Advisory Board can influence the cleanup decisions through discussions of ideas, concerns, questions, and providing direct feedback to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and regulatory agencies. Meetings are formal, but are open to the public.

To submit your responses to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ public interest survey before the Wednesday deadline,  click here.

Since 1994, hundreds of RABs have been established at military sites and properties across the United States. The formation of a RAB for Buxton Beach has been championed by the Buxton Civic Association since the local organization was formed in April 2024.

To view the Restoration Advisory Board presentation that was given to attendees at the public meeting hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District in Buxton last month, please click here. 

For more information about the Buxton FUDS property from Dare County, visit DareNC.gov/BuxtonFUDS.