ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, Md. - The North Beach swimming area on Assateague Island National Seashore that was closed on Sunday is expected to reopen Thursday morning.
Seven military ordnances were found washed ashore within the last two weeks. According to the National Park Service, the U.S. Navy used this portion of Assateague Island as a test range for rockets and bombs during World War II. After the war’s end, a cleanup was done, and debris was buried in pits on the island. Now, fragments from the rockets and bombs are washing up on the island’s shoreline.
“I suspect it’s because the big nor’easter we had in May really messed with the seafloor there,” said Assateague Island National Seashore Superintendent Hugh Hawthorne. “It changed the beach topography a lot. It stirred things up. So, it probably opened up that burial pit, and it’s taken a few months for these pieces of metal to migrate from there to the shore.”
Assateague Island National Seashore officials met with the Worcester County Fire Marshal, and the U.S. Air Force 436th Civil Engineer Squadron - Emergency Ordnance Disposal team on Monday to devise a plan for the closure going forward. They initially planned to reopen the area on Wednesday, if no new ordnances were found. According to officials, the area has remained clear of new debris since Sunday.
Visitors are still encouraged to use the north and south ends of the island in the meantime, as long as they remain outside of the roped-off areas.
“The Assateague staff and the rangers do everything possible to keep us safe,” says Brenda Wascak, a local Assateague Island resident. “To me, that’s above all else. A few minutes lost at the beach is not worth your life.”
Park officials say that most of the debris is harmless, but some may still contain explosive residue that could be dangerous. Hawthorne says that if someone finds one of the ordnances on the beach, they should not touch it. Immediately find a park employee and tell them where it is.
