Buried military site emerges on NC’s Outer Banks, prompting beach contamination alert

A stretch of Outer Banks beach within North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore was closed Thursday, Sept. 5, due to contamination bubbling up from a long-buried military base, according to National Park Service officials.

The closure covers approximately half a mile in the Buxton area, not far from the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

“Over the last 24-36 hours, several feet of sand have been washed away from an area of beach,” the park wrote in a news release.

“Soil and groundwater that is apparently contaminated with petroleum from historic military use of the site is now exposed to the beachfront during low tide, and wave action during high tide.”

Strong winds continue to expose additional infrastructure, resulting in a strong smell of gas in the area, park officials said.

The debris includes “concrete, rebar, wires, PVC and metal pipes, metal fragments, and cables.”

All are remnants of a U.S. Navy facility that operated from 1950s into the early ’80s, McClatchy News reported in 2023. The 40-acre base conducted “secret monitoring of submarines” during the Cold War and included 12 buildings, according to a 2013 report in CoastalReview.org.

The U.S. Coast Guard took over when the Navy left and used the site until 2005. It was then closed and the buildings were torn down.

A cleanup of the debris and contaminated soil is due to happen under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program, the park says. Details of the project and a schedule have not been announced.

Buxton is about a 240-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Buried military site emerges on NC’s Outer Banks, prompting beach contamination alert."