Old Lighthouse Beach reopens to the public, three-tenths-of-a-mile section of Buxton Beach remains closed

Following a recent interim response action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), and consultations with the Dare County Department of Health of Human Services (DHHS), the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) has reopened an approximately two-tenths-of-a-mile section of beach starting at the southernmost jetty in Buxton and continuing to the south, also known as Old Lighthouse Beach.

Varying sections of Buxton Beach have been closed to the public since September 2023, after two offshore hurricanes revealed petroleum smells and abandoned infrastructure from a former 1956-2010 military base. This recently-reopened section of the Buxton shoreline was closed on September 5, 2024, after heightened erosion resulted in the further degradation of the Buxton Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) site.

Old Lighthouse Beach visitors should use the parking lot near the lifeguarded beach until the Corps’ contractor completes the removal of its equipment from near the northern parking lot adjacent to the Old Lighthouse Beach Access. The removal of contractor equipment is expected to occur by the afternoon of Dec. 20, 2024.

The decision to essentially revert to the original three-tenths-of-a-mile closure area adjacent to the Buxton FUDS site, also known as the Buxton Beach Access, was made after factoring in the amount of contaminated soil and water removed by the Corps and the prolonged period of time between the last report of apparent petroleum sheens or odors in the area.

According to a Dec. 11, 2024, project update from the Corps, the following approximate quantities were removed from the Buxton FUDS site during the roughly two-month interim action response:

• 4,599 cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soil
• 99,526 gallons of petroleum-impacted water
• 278,000 pounds of concrete (removed when concrete impeded response efforts)
• 1,153 feet of pipe
• 1,088 feet of metallic debris, cable/wire

Contaminated soil and water are likely still present in the beach adjacent to the Buxton FUDS, so the CHNS personnel will continue to monitor, and keep this three-tenths-of-mile section of beach closed to the public.

An amended precautionary public health advisory by the Dare County DHHS is forthcoming.

In the coming months, the Corps is expected to comprehensively sample soil and groundwater within the Buxton FUDS with the intent to delineate the nature and extent of any petroleum contamination remaining at the site

• For more information about the Corps’ actions at the Buxton FUDS, visit their Buxton Naval Facility FUDS website.
• For more information from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, visit their Buxton Beach Access website
• Developing info from the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) can also be accessed via the organization’s website at BuxtonCivic.com or through the BCA’s official Facebook page.