BUXTON, N.C. — For decades, three jetties have sat on the Buxton oceanfront, deteriorating year after year. The most intact one to the south is being repaired, but a new bill in Raleigh could open up the future of a jetty system in the area.
"Mixed feelings. Excitement and trepidation," said Jeff Dawson, a member of the Buxton Civic Association.
Dawson's family history on Hatteras Island goes back hundreds of years, and he can even remember 30 years ago how much beach there used to be in Buxton.
"We used to have the motel, and then there was about 50 yards of beach, and then there was a double dune system, and then there was probably another 50 yards of beach," said Dawson.
Three jetties have sat on the oceanfront in Buxton since the 1960s when the U.S. Navy built them to protect their defense site from erosion. But for decades they have sat there deteriorating in the Atlantic Ocean, which has only accelerated the erosion there year after year.
"They put jetties in and kind of reshaped the coastline, and now that those jetties have fallen apart, we've got issues like the FUDS (Formerly Used Defense Site) site being unburied, and there's just a myriad of issues that can come with playing with the coastal correction," said Dawson.
In Raleigh on Friday, Senate Bill 1009 was introduced in the General Assembly that would eliminate North Carolina's ban on hardened structures that has been in place for decades. A ban that Dawson and fellow Buxton Civic Association members have been wanting revisited for years.
"I guess dropping 20 homes in the ocean, and then having people actually talk sense and explain the issues and explain what's actually happening and how man made erosion caused this, not natural causes, has gotten to the right people, and they're doing the right thing," said Dawson.
Though this is good news, if passed, neighbors are also hoping that where and when hardened structures are used is a carefully coordinated process.
"The jetties are going to work here, because we had jetties, the jetties were installed by the Navy. We don't want to see Hatteras Island with jetties all over the place," said Brian Harris, a member of BCA.
But everything has to start somewhere, and with an upcoming single jetty repair and beach nourishment, the news of this legislation is only a positive for neighbors in Buxton.
"Everybody is actually sitting down at the table for the first time, so it's good. I think the next 5-10 years, we'll see a lot of changes down here for the better," said Harris.
Just being introduced on Friday, the bill is already making its way through the Senate. It also would appropriate $850,000 to the North Carolina Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill to update the state's beach and inlet management plan.
News 3 will continue to follow the bill's progress and update viewers when we know more.
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