Buxton Beach closure expanded due to petroleum odors
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) expanded the size of a previously closed beach area by approximately 0.25 miles on Thursday morning, Sept. 5, in Buxton, North Carolina.
The precautionary expansion, implemented in consultation with the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services, closes the beach from the southern end of the location of beachfront homes in the village of Buxton, located at the end of Old Lighthouse Road, to approximately 0.25 miles south of the old lighthouse jetties.
The closure includes the beachfront in front of the southern groin and the Old Lighthouse Beach parking areas. The closure may change over the coming days based on ongoing field observations.
On Thursday morning, Seashore rangers noticed strong petroleum smells along Old Lighthouse Beach, near the Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS). The odors were impacting the area due to the strong northeast winds and erosion which is apparently exposing historic petroleum contamination at the FUDS. Observations were reported to the National Response Center this morning.
The Seashore will provide updated public information in the coming days. Prior to the expansion, a three-tenths-of-a-mile section of Buxton Beach had already been closed since September 1, 2023.
Historical information about the former military site is located at http://go.nps.gov/buxtonbeach.
