Buxton FUDS public meeting date set – cleanup continues at site

October 18, 2024 | Local News

Bay West, LLC., the contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, excavate the beach in search of petroleum-contaminated soil Oct. 15, 2024, at the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina. Approximately 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipes, 50 feet of cable/wire, 75 feet of ‘listening cable’ and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum-soil has been removed from the construction site. (Photo by Terry Brooks, USACE)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following press release on Friday afternoon, October 18.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has set the date, time, and location for a public meeting about the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Sites property as its response action continues at the beachfront property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina.

The meeting takes place at the Fessenden Center, at 46830 North Carolina Highway 12, Buxton, N.C., on Nov. 4, 2024. The opening remarks and overview presentation start at 7 p.m. and community members can visit informational tables and talk to subject matter experts from the Corps of Engineers and other agency stakeholders until 9 p.m. During the meeting, community
members can also learn about the process for establishing a Restoration Advisory Board and its functions.

Media are asked to RSVP in advance. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers. However, we are respectfully asking that reporters not request interviews with the subject-matter experts while they are at the tables interacting with or answering questions from the community. Individual interviews, after the meeting ends, are at the discretion of the SMEs. Since the last news release, excavation work has continued at the FUDS property, and some remnant infrastructure has been removed from the beach so the contractors could gain access and excavate any underlying contaminated soil. To date, approximately 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipes, 50 feet of cable/wire, 75 feet of ‘listening cable’ and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum-soil has been removed from the construction site. Once all excavations are completed, the contractor will replace any removed sand and restore the beach.

Bay West, LLC., the contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, excavate the beach in search of petroleum-contaminated soil at the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina. Approximately 75 feet of ‘listening cable’ was removed from the site Oct. 15, 2024. Additionally, approximately 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipes, 50 feet of cable/wire, and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum-soil has been removed from the construction site. (Photo by Terry Brooks, USACE)

“As a reminder, the area is an active construction site,” said Terry Brooks, Army Corps of Engineers mechanical engineer and on-site manager. “For safety reasons, it is off-limits to anyone other than those working there or the National Park Service personnel, and the public should remain outside of the roped off area.”

Lastly, the U.S. Coast Guard recently completed a Site Inspection Report of its former facility known as Old Group Cape Hatteras, and identified lead is present in the soil and groundwater nea the former small arms range, which belonged to the Navy. Currently, the Buxton Naval Facility FUDS property does not have an open project that covers the small arms range. In anticipation of creating a new environmental restoration project and to prepare a Project Eligibility Recommendation, the Army Corps of Engineers is gathering information, to include the Coast Guard’s SI Report, about the small arms range. Project approval is required for environmental restoration activities to occur. The timeline is currently undetermined.