BUXTON, N.C. (WAVY) — Crews are making quick progress with the cleanup of a Cold War-era Naval base along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Work on excavating the site started a little more than a month ago. It comes after lengthy back and forth between the Buxton community and the Army Corps of Engineers.
At a recent meeting in Buxton, Army Corps officials said they hauled away more than 650 cubic yards of petroleum impacted soil. For reference, that is more than 50 truckloads. They also took out more than 11,000 gallons of petroleum water. Along with all this, the Corps is reporting more than 138,000 pounds of concrete removed, along with more than a thousand feet of pipes and a thousand feet of metal cables.
As they have said in the past, the Army Corps is only authorized to take out petroleum impacted soil, but they are removing any structure that gets in the way. More sampling is being done to figure out what they will do next.
“They’re going to be here for a couple of years,” said Brian Harris with the Buxton Civic Associaion. “I mean, there’s no way around it. This is just a phase one.”
Harris told 10 On Your Side, members of the Buxton Civic Association are pleased with the progress and that they are finally taking fast action.
“I mean, there’s nothing on the beach now, it’s completely gone,” Harris said, describing the sate of the naval base. “All the pipes, all the buildings, all the foundation, the concrete, the rebar.”
There is still some concern over the nearby former facility ran by the Coast Guard. Recent testing reveals lead contamination in groundwater and soil.
“I think the general public should be more concerned about the Coast Guard reports and their outlook on the situation,” Harris said.
The Buxton Civic Association is working with the Army Corps to form a Restoration Advisory Board. This would allow community members of Buxton to be in close contact and have a dialogue with the Corps, keeping their finger on the pulse of this issue as it progresses.