Contaminated soil to be removed after Buxton pollution amps up Army Corps action

BUXTON, N.C. (WAVY) — Erosion at an old naval base continues to haunt one of the most popular beaches in the nation. Now, heavy machinery is on the way to Buxton to take out soil contaminated with petroleum. It is where pollution caused a roughly half mile stretch of beach to close.

Within the last few weeks, heavy winds knocked a large amount of sand off the site. Dare County officials have said this is causing even more petroleum to leak into the ocean.

A more prominent stench of petroleum is making it more dangerous for neighbors and visitors, with reports of people getting sick after going near the site.

The Army Corps of Engineers spent the last several months investigating the old base, testing parts of it for oil. It is said to be in line with the typical process set in place for formerly used defense sites. People living in the area worry about how long the process is taking, afraid that erosion may move faster.

Since the conditions sharply worsened in early September, the Corps received authorization to take more immediate action. They are bringing in heavy machinery to get the oil contaminated soil out of the beach.

“We were out on site on Sept. 5 and noticed the sheen,” said Sarah Keisler, project manager with the Army Corps. “Our team was also out there again, I think on the seventh, and noticed the sheen, and we didn’t want it to be leaking out into the ocean. So we were awarded a contract on Sept. 13,” she added. “That contract is to perform a limited excavation of petroleum impacted soils that have been seen along the beach and the dunes.”

As 10 On Your Side reported, the Corps is not authorized to remove the entire structure — just the parts contaminated with oil. This has frustrated county leaders, who tell our news team it is not clear which government entity can remove the structure. There is a litany of paperwork dating back to the 1980’s, explaining how ownership of the naval site changed hands multiple times since it was decommissioned long ago.

While crews remove contaminated soil in the coming weeks, Keisler said if any piece of structure is in the way, they will remove that too.

“We are removing the soil beneath the infrastructure and in order for them to access that, they will have to remove it,” she explained.

Keisler said the contaminated soil, and any structure pieces that come out in the process, will be taken off site and dealt with by the Corps. She told 10 On Your Side the process of removing contaminated soil could take about 60 days. This timeline hinges on erosion and weather conditions.

They are still waiting on the test results for a sample they took back in May.

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