Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) personnel expanded the size of a previously closed beach area in Buxton on Sunday afternoon, March 24.
The expansion closes the Buxton Beach Access, located at the end of Old Lighthouse Road, and an additional stretch of beach, due to reports of petroleum odors and sheen on the ocean water. The odors and sheen were observed by Seashore staff near a site formerly used by the Navy and Coast Guard.
Observations were reported to the National Response Center this morning and the Coast Guard’s Sector North Carolina has responded and is working with the Seashore to monitor the situation.
Approximately two-tenths of a mile of beach in front of the formerly used defense site has been closed since Sept. 1, 2023. Today’s expansion of the closure results in a closed section of beach approximately three-tenths of a mile long, starting at the southernmost beachfront home in the village of Buxton and ending at the first (southernmost) jetty.
The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers have been notified about the recent observations and the Seashore will be meeting with both agencies. The Seashore will provide updated public information in the coming days.
For more information
- Visitors who encounter a fuel smell or fuel sheens while visiting the Buxton shoreline near Old Lighthouse Road should call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 to report the encounter. Include the date, time, location, and basic details of what was seen or smelled, and do not call if you have not experienced the issue first-hand, or have not been physically affected. The National Response Center is solely for reporting real-time information on fuel smells or sheens in the Buxton area, as they happen.
- For more information on a recently launched campaign to initiate action on Buxton Beach, click here.
- To learn more about the current conditions on Buxton Beach, visit the Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s webpage, or review the Island Free Press’ previous reports on the situation.
