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Petroleum Contamination Leads To Beach Closure At Cape Hatteras National Seashore

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Compiled from NPS releases

Published Date

September 5, 2024
Historic military infrastructure at Cape Hatteras National Seashore has been exposed by wave action/NPS

Historic military infrastructure near Buxton, NC, at Cape Hatteras National Seashore has been exposed by wave action/NPS

Wave action has brought to the surface petroleum-contaminated soils at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, prompting the National Park Service to temporarily close a section of beach.

The beach erosion over the past day or so exposed more of the Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), a historic military site. A park release said the erosion has exposed the ruins during low tide and wave action during high tide. 

Seashore staff have reported observations of the petroleum exposure to the National Response Center, operated by the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and other State of North Carolina agencies that assist with pollution response. The seashore has also requested assistance from the Regional Response Team, an interagency team that can help coordinate response and provide technical advice during oil spills or pollution events. 

Additionally, erosion has uncovered significant quantities of hazardous remnant Navy and Coast Guard infrastructure, such as concrete, rebar, wires, PVC and metal pipes, metal fragments, and cables that have been left in the ground. 

Due to the site exposure, the Park Service on Thursday morning expanded the size of a previously closed beach area by approximately a quarter-mile in Buxton. The precautionary expansion, the Park Service said, 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.

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