Buxton Civic Association makes the case to repair or replace Buxton jetties at Dare Board meeting

The founding members of the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) continued their revitalized push to repair or replace the jetties at the end of Old Lighthouse Road at the Dare County Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting on February 3.
Their scheduled appearance included an edited presentation on Buxton Beach that was first shared at the annual North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association (NCBIWA) Conference in November, which was held in Wilmington, N.C.
The NCBIWA is “dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the North Carolina Coast,” and the BCA joined the NCBIWA shortly after forming in April 2024, becoming the first Hatteras Island-based group to become a member.
At the statewide conference, which attracted roughly 200 government representatives, engineers, consultants, and legislators, the BCA was surprised to receive an overwhelming response of support.
“After we went to the [conference] in November, a lot of things happened. A lot of contacts were made,” said BCA Co-Vice President Brian Harris at the BOC meeting. “So, we felt like we really needed to do the presentation, with a lot more information.”
A background on the presentation and Buxton Beach

When the BCA first shared the presentation at the statewide conference, most of the NCBIWA members had never heard about the environmental and public safety issues that had plagued Buxton Beach for more than a year.
The original presentation outlined how a small section of shoreline had been closed to the public after two offshore hurricanes in September 2023 revealed leftover infrastructure from a 1956-2010 military base, as well as sporadic but strong petroleum smells.
By the end of 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had launched a 60-day emergency response, removing a substantial but unknown percentage of the petroleum-contaminated soils and groundwater, as well as debris.
Comprehensive testing by the USACE to determine the next steps is underway, and a new Buxton Restoration Advisory Board is being formed so the community can stay involved in future remediation efforts.
Essentially, with the immediate contamination issues at Buxton Beach being addressed, the BCA has turned their focus to a new initiative – the Buxton jetties.
A new conversation about the Buxton jetties
The three Buxton jetties were built by the Navy in the late 1960s/early 1970s to protect their military facilities, and according to the BCA’s presentation, they were somewhat maintained until the lighthouse was moved inland in 1999.
“When the government moved the lighthouse and decided that it was no longer necessary to keep maintenance of the jetties, we watched our beaches just evaporate,” said BCA Co-Vice President Jeff Dawson.

Historical images of Old Lighthouse Beach were shared, showing the deterioration of both the jetties and the adjacent shoreline.
“Those jetties have been there for 50-plus years. They did a great job while they were maintained, but as soon as they started to fall apart, we started losing our [beaches],” said Dawson.
BCA Board Member and professional surfer Brett Barley has been surfing near the Buxton jetties all of his life, so he shared his first-hand experience of the shoreline changes that had occurred over multiple decades.
“The jetties worked for about 40 years,” said Barely. “But what [became evident] about 10 years ago was that what used to work no longer works once there’s holes there.”
When they were intact, the jetties allowed a glut of sand to accumulate at the delicate shoreline just north of the Diamond Shoals. But once deterioration set in, and large holes started to form just beneath the surface, the situation changed.

“With a hardened structure like that, you can hop in the water and paddle out alongside of it, because it stops the current – the downshore flow,” said Barley. “What we noticed [as surfers] was that we were getting swept out to sea in the places that you normally held ground.
“We didn’t know why, until a couple weeks later, when the swell died down and we had an abnormally low tide,” he said. “There were holes all in the jetty. They were all below the surface, though, and as those holes formed, and it was rusting apart, it was then exacerbating the current.
“Once those holes kept getting bigger and bigger, then the currents were actually flowing through at a higher rate than if [the jetties] weren’t there at all… . So, we’ve shot ourselves in the foot by just letting them go.”
The theory that the jetties’ deterioration was actually accelerating erosion was seconded by County Manager Bobby Outten.
“Everything they told you about the jetties working is true,” said Outten at the meeting. “Our engineers have told us this as well.”
The challenges of replacing the jetties, and the next steps
The jetty-replacement conversation is not new, but it has been shut down in the past due to laws and red tape that seemed insurmountable.
“We’ve heard all the things that I’ve heard my whole life – ‘it’s not going to happen. We have a hardened structures ban. The Park Service is never going to allow it,’” said Jennette. “But what we heard [at the NCBIWA conference] was not that. What we heard was ‘We’ve gotten variances. Please come talk to us. Let us walk you through how we did this.’”

According to the BCA, instead of a ‘hard no,’ the National Park Service also said they were open to the discussion of jetties.
“[They said] that ‘the Cape Hatteras National Seashore remains committed to continuing discussions with local communities and partners on strategies to mitigate the impacts of erosion, including shoreline stabilization on adjacent land transportation corridors, and other infrastructure,’” said Jennette. “So, what we’re feeling, and what we’re hoping to relay, is that it seems like the right people are on board right now….
“Maybe the time of saying ‘it’s not going to happen,’ or ‘it’s illegal,’ or ‘these people aren’t going to do it’ is over. Maybe it’s time to just take a fresh start and go ‘How can we get this done?’”
Under the current law, if there is an existing, grandfathered-in jetty or other hardened structure, and 50% or more of it still exists, it can be repaired. If there’s less than 50% of the original structure remaining, it’s considered a total rebuild or replacement, which is not allowed.
After an early 2020s study by Coastal Science and Engineering, it was determined by the state that there was not enough of the Buxton jetties left to qualify for a repair variance.
“We had explored it before then, and it was discussed and talked about several times, but each time the 50% rule was an impediment,” said Outten in an earlier interview.
If the repair option is not feasible, a replacement project naturally runs into the hurdle of the statewide ban on hardened structures.
“Right now, the N.C. General Assembly has the ability to permit up to six terminal groins on the terminus of an island,” said Tancred Miller, Director of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, in an earlier interview. “For the middle of an island, the current law doesn’t allow for [groins.]”
“So [for Buxton], it would require a law change. Our commission can grant variances, but not grant them outside of state law.”
Miller noted that while there was no wiggle room right now when it came to a variance from the Division of Coastal Management, a change in state law would alter the current restrictions.
“Of course, that law can be changed if anyone wants to change it,” he said. “If they were given authority by the General Assembly, they could move forward.”
With these past barriers in mind, the BCA and the Dare County BOC are taking multiple, concurrent actions to overcome the state and federal challenges.
“It’s not a federal issue with the permits. It’s a state issue,” said Outten at the meeting. “We’d have to go to legislature and either get the legislation changed to allow that, or we would have to try to figure a way to repair those [jetties] under the current legislation that’s there.”
Outten reported that engineers working on behalf of the county have already been hired to conduct a new study to determine if 50% of the groin remains in place when taking into account the part of the structure that is covered by sand and water.

In the previous study, when it was determined that less than 50% of the jetties were remaining and therefore no repairs could be made, not all of the jetty structure was included.
“What we’re asking them to do, which hasn’t been done yet, is to take the full length and run of the jetty [into account], see what’s under the water and what’s above the water, and see if there’s a way to shoehorn it into that 50% rule,” said Outten. “If there is, then we’re at a place where it’s a permittable project through the Coastal Resources Commission.”
Meanwhile, with the assistance of legal counsel, the BCA is taking the issue to state and federal lawmakers, to see if a legislation change could push the project forward.
BOC Chairman Bob Woodard also indicated his willingness to take these concerns to the state legislature in Raleigh, as well as federal representatives in Washington, D.C., in an effort to secure support for potential solutions.
“I think you know that we’re on your side,” said Chairman Woodard at the meeting. “We’re open to doing this immediately and getting in front of our legislators with all of those issues that you’ve just brought up to us today. I’m open to doing this sooner rather than later. As soon as we can get in front of them, we’ll make a trip to Raleigh, and to D.C. as well, to try to try to get some help there.”

“I get a sense that these four good [BCA] folks are preaching to the choir – that we’re all in the boat with you,” said Commissioner Ross.
After the meeting, the BCA said they were pleased with the Board of Commissioners’ response, and were committed to staying on top of both the ongoing Buxton Beach remediation efforts and the jetties replacement or repair project in the months and potentially years to come.
“We were appreciative of the BOC welcoming us to share with them and the community, and are proud of our efforts to bring the critical issue of beach stabilization into the spotlight,” said Jennette. “We felt like most of the Board was receptive and in agreement that something – repairing, replacing, alternate means of stabilization – needs to be done much sooner than later.
“Our job as a civic association is to make sure that the issues that affect our community, especially as an unincorporated area, are brought to the attention of our county officials. Maintaining access to Highway 12 and critical utilities is paramount, and beach stabilization is crucial to that. To that end, we are thrilled with today’s presentation and excited to see what momentum exists going forward.”
For more information on the Buxton Civic Association, including updates on their recent push for beach stabilization, visit their website or Facebook page.
I coulda sworn that, 25 years ago, there were those making a more or less equally strong argument that the groins do more harm than good.
Where have those people gone?
Groins and jetties have been proven to increase erosion, proven in practice and by the ACOE, Army Corps Of Engineers, as well as college studies and private research.
Look at what these groins have done to Buxton, scalloped out adjacent beaches creating deep cuts in the beach, eroded right into the neighborhood on one end and into forest on the other.
Look anywhere else there has been groins in place.
Look at the awful and detrimental effects caused by the groins and jetty at Oregon Inlet..