National Park Service and Army Corps respond after petroleum reappears at Buxton; county approves groin contract

Dave Halleck, superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, told the Dare County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 that renewed erosion at the Buxton formerly used defense site has exposed residual petroleum and produced “very strong odors and sheens actively washing into the ocean.” The National Park Service closed about one mile of the beach as a precaution while the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal partners respond.

Halleck said the Navy and Coast Guard, which operated the site decades ago, left petroleum contamination that the Army Corps previously began cleaning. “They removed over 4,600 cubic yards of petroleum‑contaminated soil. They removed almost a 100,000 gallons of petroleum‑contaminated groundwater,” Halleck said, adding that the Corps had told park staff it had not removed all contamination and planned comprehensive sampling. He said…