New work this summer as investigation into Buxton fuel leak continues, Army Corps says

BUXTON, NC — Oil is suspected of being leaked into the ocean as surfers in the Buxton area of ​​Hatteras Island report occasionally coming out of the water with an oily sheen on their wetsuits.

As 10 On Your Side reported to you earlier this yearthe former Cape Hatteras Naval Base is returning to the popular beach after decades of erosion. It was decommissioned in the 1980s and was once used to locate submarines. This section of beach was closed to the public last fall.

The Army Corps is working with samples it took from the site last month to determine whether oil is continuing to leak into the sea.

They now confirm that further geophysical work will be carried out on the site this summer.

The aim is to find out whether there are other fuel distribution systems deep underground.

At previous meetings, Army Corps officials were asked if the fuel tanks were still there. They said they did not know.

One point of contention remains for the community, however: The Army Corps only has the authority to remove parts of the site that are deemed to pose a danger to the public. That means things like large rebar, concrete slabs and other items that don’t contaminate the soil are not allowed to be removed by the Army Corps.

This led to a letter signed by a group of local politicians asking the federal government to undertake a more aggressive cleanup. Currently, the Army Corps is awaiting the results of its recent soil sampling and said it will make the data available to the public as soon as it is available.