Buxton Civic Association shares updates on jetty repairs, stormwater drainage grant, and Buxton Beach

Following a recent announcement that a Buxton jetty repair project was likely to move forward, the Buxton Civic Association (BCA) had substantial good news to report at their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 6.

The three Buxton jetties (or groins) were built by the Navy in 1970 to protect its military facilities, and while the jetties couldn’t completely prevent erosion, studies like a 2013 Shoreline Assessment noted that “the groins slowed the erosion rate.”

However, the jetties have deteriorated over the years, and have not been maintained since the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved in 1999. In the past decade, underwater holes developed in the jetties, causing currents to power through the structures, and accelerate erosion in the area at a higher rate than if the jetties weren’t there at all.

For decades, it has been the policy of North Carolina, as outlined in the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), to ban hardened structures along the state’s shorelines, with a few notable exceptions.

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. However, if there’s less than 50% of the original structure remaining, it’s considered a total rebuild or replacement, which is not allowed.

Previous studies found that less than 50% of the Buxton jetties remained, barring any repairs to the groin system. But a new examination by Coastal Science & Engineering (CSE) took the buried and underwater portions of the structures into account, which pushed the jetties past the 50% threshold.

At Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board unanimously voted to ask CSE to begin securing the required permits from CAMA (State of North Carolina), as well as the National Park Service, for the repairs of the Buxton jetties, so that the lifespan of 2026’s Buxton beach nourishment project could be extended.

“They haven’t signed the permits yet, so we’re still just hopeful,” said BCA Co-Vice President Jeff Dawson. “But no one thought we’d be here, especially this fast, and here we are.”

BCA members were especially appreciative of the rush to start repairs before the 2026 beach nourishment project, so that more of the prescribed two million cubic yards of sand will stay on the Buxton shoreline.

“When we did this presentation at the commissioners’ meeting in February, we said ‘Hey, you’re getting ready to dump all this money to nourish the beach, and let’s protect this [investment],’” said BCA President Heather Jennette. “At first, it was ‘no way we can get this done,’ but it has now become ‘here’s our timeframe to get this done, before beach nourishment begins.’”

“It’s very reassuring,” said BCA Secretary Wendi Munden. “It finally feels like everyone is on the same page.”

After Co-Vice President Brian Harris represented the BCA and Buxton’s interests at the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) meeting on Feb. 26-27, the group was enlisted for another public appearance on March 19, at the annual State of the County presentation.

The yearly presentation is hosted by the Dare County Board of Commissioners, and routinely attracts 200 representatives from local organizations, towns, nonprofits, and government agencies.

“Every year, they pick around five issues that they feel have been – or are going to be – big deals in the county,” said Jennette. “So, Commissioner Woodard reached out to us and said the Buxton FUDS site is one of them – what we’ve done, and what the plan is going forward.”

The BCA also touched on the Buxton Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) which is in the preliminary stages of being formed.

In early November, the USACE launched an online survey designed to gauge the Outer Banks community’s interest in establishing a RAB for the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) at the end of Old Lighthouse Road.

A section of beach in this area has been closed to the public since September 2023, when two offshore hurricanes eroded the shoreline, and revealed leftover infrastructure from a 1956-2010 military base as well as sporadic but strong petroleum smells.

A section of the beach – the famed Old Lighthouse Beach – reopened at the end of 2024 after an intensive response action by the USACE, but more work remains to fully remediate the shoreline.

As outlined by the USACE at a Nov. 4 meeting, RABs are designed to bring the community together to exchange restoration information between regulatory agencies, the USACE, and interested community members.

Although they are not a decision-making group, members of a RAB can influence beach remediation decisions by sharing ideas, concerns, and questions, and they can provide direct feedback to the USACE and regulatory agencies. Meetings are formal, but are open to the public.

The 90 survey results were overwhelmingly in favor of the RAB, and the BCA, along with other county leaders and reprentatives, have been assisting with the RAB member selection process.

“We want the RAB, because we don’t want anything hidden – we want [the USACE] to be transparent with us, and this was a way to make them be transparent,” said Munden.

The BCA is also applying for a $375,000 EPA grant, with the assistance of longtime Buxton advocate Susan Sigmon, that would create a stormwater drainage system for the four side roads on Old Lighthouse Road, behind the Red Drum Food Mart.

While there was more good news than bad news at the monthly BCA meeting, the major bone of contention was the frequent, island-wide communications outages due to a routinely damaged or cut cable near the Pea Island Visitor Center.

The fiber optic cable, which is located on the oceanside of N.C. Highway 12, is in a spot that is routinely maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and other contractors, and as such, the cable is susceptible to damage by heavy equipment in the area.

A five-hour communications outage most recently occurred on Monday, and when these instances occur, cell and internet service are not available, making it difficult if not impossible to reach 911 without heading to a local fire station.

“This has happened seven times since last July,” said Harris. “Something has to be done.”

According to Tim Hass, Communications Officer for NCDOT Division One, cable owner Brightspeed is currently working to obtain the necessary permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (which manages the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge), to move the cable to the soundside.

“NCDOT is prepared to sign off on an encroachment agreement for the company to move the cable, but cannot do that until they have the required permits from the Refuge,” said Hass.

However, the BCA pointed out that the frequent lack of 911 access, and the frequent cost to businesses on both Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, demanded urgent action and attention.

“Someone needs to start a petition, and it shouldn’t come from just us – it needs to be an island-wide petition,” said Harris.

The BCA also discussed joining forces with the Hatteras Village Civic Association, the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Civic Association, and the Avon Property Owners Association to get the ball rolling on relocating the problematic Pea Island cable.

Finally, the BCA asked the roughly dozen attendees to continue showing up at the Fessenden Center Annex at the monthly Board of Commissioners meetings to make the Hatteras Island community’s presence and involvement known.

“The next meeting is going to be Monday, April 7, and if you are unable to attend in person, you can go to the Annex building right here – the old PNC Bank – and you can watch it virtually,” said Munden. “The more people they see here, the more they remember us.”