Federal agencies vow more action to clean-up old military base site in Buxton
By Samuel King,
2024-05-15
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met with the public in Buxton Tuesday evening to address concerns about potential contamination at an old military base.
Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and National Park Service were also on hand to answer questions.
A three-tenths-of-a-mile stretch of beach has been closed for months after erosion from storms exposed some remnants of the base and people in the area reported a diesel smell.
“I am freaked out, period,” said Susan Sigmon, who owns a rental home in the area. “I hear your words. I hear it. My question is what exactly is the timeline? What exactly is going to happen next?”
In his response, Col. Ron Sturgeon, commander of the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, acknowledged the progress of clean-up at the site has been slow but touted recent momentum since May 1.
“Once we found that contamination, ma’am, we acted on that,” Col Sturgeon said, “Within 24 hours we had a contract, within three days we had a contractor on site. Further sampling will occur.”
That contractor finished removing a pipe from the old base on Tuesday. It was found to have what’s believed to be petroleum residue inside. Work is now underway to remove the sand around the pipe. Sampling of the sand around the site will determine how far it spread.
Watch previous coverage: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracks work at Buxton military base site
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracks work at Buxton abandoned military site
The Savannah District is involved because it oversees the Formerly Used Defense Sites or FUDS program in the Southeast U.S.
That’s significant because it determines what part of the clean-up the Army Corps is actually responsible for, but other funding would have to found to address other impacts on the site like removing infrastructure that isn’t directly contaminating the environment.
“What I do is control my piece of the pie right now, and like I said when I got up here, I’m all in,” Col. Sturgeon said.
Sigmon and others in this crowd say they will continue holding leaders accountable.
“I think it’s still going to take a lot of public outcry,” she told News 3. ”A lot of public attention to this to really keep that momentum moving.”
Others expressed concern about the impact on the situation on tourism and the local economy. County commissioners said they will continue efforts to remind visitors that only a small portion of the region’s beaches are impacted.
The Army Corps has committed to start what’s known as a Restoration Advisory Board— a formal process to keep communities informed, but that could take months to start.
A third-party review team will also be examining the response so far and what else may need to be done, Sturgeon said.
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