Buxton Beach Nourishment Project

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No beach nourishment projects are scheduled to be performed in 2025.

Beach nourishment projects in the unincorporated villages of Avon and Buxton on Hatteras Island are currently scheduled to take place in 2026.* Erosion rates are being monitored and will impact the volume of sand that is placed on each beach. Permitting and design work for these projects is ongoing. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

Click here to sign up for Buxton beach nourishment email updates.

*Please note that this information is subject to change. More detailed information regarding any plans and potential schedules for future renourishment/maintenance projects in Dare County will be provided as it becomes available.

In 2022, approximately 2.9 miles of shoreline in Buxton, from the Haulover Day Use Area to the oceanfront groin at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, were nourished at a construction cost of $18,106,674. The nourishment project began on June 30, 2022, and was completed on August 16, 2022.

Click here to view the 2022 Buxton beach nourishment project map.

Buxton Beach Nourishment Updates

No beach nourishment projects are scheduled to be performed on any Dare County beaches in 2025.

May 2025 Update:

Permitting and design work for the beach nourishment projects scheduled to take place in 2026 in Avon and Buxton are ongoing. Erosion rates are being monitored and will impact the volume of sand that is placed on each beach. Both projects are currently expected to begin in the early summer of 2026. Additional information will be posted once further details are available.

January 2025 Update:
The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted during its January 6, 2025 meeting to authorize Dare County Finance Director David Clawson to sign the Designation of Applicant’s Agent (DAA) and State-Applicant Disaster Assistance Agreement (SAA). These agreements are necessary to apply to receive federal and state funding following loss of sand in the project area in Buxton during Potential Tropical Cyclone #8 last September.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared Dare County eligible for disaster assistance due to the storm’s impacts, which resulted in approximately 175,000 cubic yards of sand loss in Buxton. A post-storm survey conducted by Coastal Science and Engineering placed the cost of replacing this sand at $10.2 million. If the funding is approved, the county plans to integrate this effort into its larger 2026 maintenance project, leveraging efficiencies and cost savings.

2022 Buxton Beach Nourishment Project Reports

August 17, 2022: Last Load of Sand in Buxton was Placed on August 16, 2022

August 11, 2022: 90 Percent of the Contracted Volume in Buxton is Complete

August 5, 2022: 60 Percent of the Contracted Volume in Buxton is Complete

August 2, 2022: The Ellis Island has Returned to Assist the Liberty Island in Buxton

July 28, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Operations Have Resumed

July 22, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Remains Paused

July 19, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Paused Until Further Notice

July 18, 2022: Significant Progress on the Avon and Buxton Beach Nourishment Projects

July 11, 2022: Nourished Southern Section of Buxton Beach Nourishment Expected to Open July 12

July 8, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Continuing South

July 5, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Resumed on July 4, 2022

July 2, 2022: Buxton Beach Nourishment Paused Due to Tropical Storm Colin

June 28, 2022: Beach Nourishment in Avon Continues

June 27, 2022: Ellis Island Dredge to Start Pumping in Buxton

June 8, 2022: Projected Dredge Arrival Dates and Project Start Dates

March 24, 2022: Video: Public Meeting at the Fessenden Center in Buxton, NC Regarding Beach Nourishment Projects

Two stacked aerial images of the beaches in Buxton, showcasing a narrow beach on June 17, 2022 and a much wider beach after nourishment taken on August 13, 2022.