The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District has resumed work at the 50-acre Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) property in the days following Hurricane Erin, reporting both minor progress and new challenges as the long-running remediation effort continues.
In an update shared with Island Free Press, Cheri Pritchard, Media Relations Chief for the Savannah District, said that the presence of petroleum odor and sheens had diminished from its peak during the height of the storm.
“Since the news release that was sent out Friday, a site walkthrough of the Formerly Used Defense Sites property was conducted Sunday and Monday. No sheens or odors were detected during Sunday or Monday’s walkthrough, and no additional erosion was observed during the last two tidal cycles,” Pritchard said.
Immediate response post-storm
During the post-storm assessment, approximately 100 linear feet of transite pipe—an asbestos-containing material once used for water distribution—was removed from the shoreline and secured for proper disposal, to ensure the on-site team’s safety. A smaller remnant pipe, still attached to a sump associated with the site’s former wastewater treatment plant, was stabilized and wrapped in place to prevent further hazard.
Flooding, storm debris, and a downed power line have made access to portions of the site difficult, slowing progress. Still, USACE staff remain on the ground and are coordinating with the National Park Service and Dare County officials to safely move forward.
“In other words, the team is working hard, are on-site, and prepared to conduct limited containment of visibly contaminated soils until the Savannah District can award a contract for the second phase of the response action to remove petroleum-impacted soil and groundwater along the beach and dunes,” Pritchard explained.
That contract award date, she noted, is pending due to any changes to the scope of work as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Erin.
A complicated history of the Buxton FUDS
The Buxton FUDS property, located along the oceanfront near Old Lighthouse Road, is tied to the U.S. Navy’s operations during World War II. The area once housed a naval base, training grounds, and support facilities, including fuel storage tanks and wastewater infrastructure. The Navy used the site until 1986, and it was then transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard for Outer Banks-centric operations. After the military’s departure in the 2010s, remnants of that activity—subsurface tanks, pipelines, and petroleum-contaminated soils—remained behind.
The consensus by stakeholders is that there are two agencies – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard – who are responsible for cleaning up the site. This is because of the original 1956 special use permit that said the site would be returned to its pristine condition after military activities concluded.
The persistent petroleum smells and petroleum-contaminated soils (PCS) fall under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ FUDS program, as Buxton was declared a FUDS property in 1998. A corresponding and separate issue of pesticides and PCBs, (which are manmade organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms), is likely linked to the U.S. Coast Guard, as these problems were present when the Coast Guard completely left the facilities around 2010.
For decades, the under-the-surface contamination went largely unnoticed by the public. But in September 2023, following two offshore hurricanes similar in impacts to 2025’s Erin, petroleum odors and visible sheens along the shoreline forced the closure of a .3-mile stretch of Buxton Beach. The area remained off-limits for 21 months while USACE conducted interim response actions, excavating petroleum-saturated soils and removing contaminated groundwater to reduce immediate risks.
The beach finally reopened to the public on June, 12, 2025, though community leaders and environmental advocates have consistently emphasized that the work is far from complete. These warnings by Buxton residents and Dare County officials came to fruition, as the three-tenths-of-a-mile shoreline was closed again just weeks later on August 2, due to the resurfacing of petroleum odors and light sheens, before Hurricane Erin accelerated these issues.
Interim response and long-term plans
In the fall of 2024, the USACE launched an interim clean-up measure at Buxton. This response action included the removal of petroleum-saturated soils, and any leftover military infrastructure that was in the way of soil and groundwater removal efforts.
In early August 2025, following the new beach closure but before Erin’s arrival, the USACE awarded a new interim response action contract designed to expand petroleum removal efforts along the shoreline and dune system. That contract is expected to fund excavation of impacted soils and groundwater by the end of the year, but Hurricane Erin has introduced new uncertainty into the timeline.
Alongside interim removal work, the USACE has been preparing for a comprehensive soil and groundwater sampling effort that would give scientists a clearer picture of the full scope of contamination. That effort is tied to the approval of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), which ensures consistency in testing protocols and lab standards.
Fieldwork was tentatively scheduled to begin in October 2025, but with storm debris still on the site and additional excavations needed, USACE now expects testing may be delayed by several months.
“Once the QAPP is accepted, fieldwork can commence,” Pritchard said. “However, the recent weather events, and the additional interim response action excavations in the project area, may hinder sampling efforts. Consequently, the Savannah District team is evaluating a potential postponement of comprehensive sampling efforts until the 2025 interim response action fieldwork is complete, to ensure unhindered access to all sampling locations.”
That means comprehensive sampling may not begin until December or early 2025, but more immediate clean-up efforts are on the horizon.
Looking ahead
For now, USACE teams remain focused on addressing immediate issues stemming from Buxton’s new waves of erosion, while preparing for larger-scale testing that may result in a more comprehensive and large-scale remediation down the road.
“The USACE team is still working to develop a course of action for the coming days. They are actively coordinating with the National Park Service and Dare County officials to navigate the changing conditions to ensure the safety of personnel and the public,” Pritchard said. “We’re doing everything we can within our authorities.”
Several meetings are scheduled this week, where Corps officials will coordinate with these local and federal agencies to hammer out a game plan.
Though progress has been made—particularly with the reopening of Buxton Beach earlier this year—the storm underscores how fragile the site remains, and how the cleanup will continue to be shaped by weather, accessibility, and coordination with local and federal partners.
As Dare County residents and visitors return to Buxton’s shoreline in the wake of Erin, the work of stabilizing, sampling, and ultimately remediating the FUDS property remains a pressing priority for both the Corps and the Buxton community.
Buxton clean-up scheduled for Saturday on Old Lighthouse Road
Community members are invited to join a volunteer Buxton Clean-Up Day on Saturday, August 30, at 10 a.m., with check-in at the Yaupon Inn on Old Lighthouse Road. Organized by the Buxton Civic Association and North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, the effort will focus on clearing debris and reopening right-of-ways along Old Lighthouse Road and its side streets following the severe ocean overwash caused by Hurricane Erin. (The clean-up will not include the closed portions of the beach.)
- When: Saturday, August 30, 10 a.m.
- Where: Old Lighthouse Rd., Buxton – check in at the Yaupon Inn
- What: Volunteers needed to clear debris and right-of-ways after Hurricane Erin’s overwash
- Bring: Boots, gloves, rakes, saws/chainsaws, friends
- Details: Construction debris dumpsters provided by Dare County; water and portable toilets available; unsafe oceanfront areas remain off-limits
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