Park service finds trash, debris with Navy markings washing ashore at Outer Banks

This comes more than 30 years after WRAL’s reporting led congress to investigate Navy ships dumping trash off the Outer Banks.

The crown jewel of the coastline, the Outer Banks draws millions of visitors every year. They come expecting pristine beaches, but for four days last week, they found something else.

"Our staff out on the beaches on the northern portion of Cape Hatteras National Seashore started to see some plastic debris," said David Hallac, Superintendent with the National Parks of Eastern NC. "Everything from shampoo bottles to old pairs of shoes, and thought it was a little bit unusual."

The Hatteras Parks Service says the trash came in waves across 25 miles of coastline and while some debris washing up is normal, they say this was different:

"So some of the items that we found had some markings that were from the United States Navy," Hallac said.

The parks service says they believe the trash may have been dumped offshore by a U.S. Navy ship. The Navy told WRAL News it's aware the debris may have come from one of its vessels, saying "the situation is under investigation and we as a Navy take these environmental violations very seriously."

"In 1991, medical waste was washing up on the shores of the Outer Banks," said former WRAL anchor Bill Leslie. "And we did stories on it, and people were infuriated by it."

"I’m very surprised to hear about this," Leslie said. "It’s been 32 years. You would think they’d get it right in that time."

In the wake of that investigation, the Navy banned its ships from dumping plastic off the coast in the early 90s, giving them waste compactors to prevent the need for offshore dumping. WRAL News asked the Navy if the recent debris washing up could be a violation of these environmental policies.

A spokesperson said "it is against federal law and Navy regulations for plastic to be dumped into the ocean, regardless of the proximity to land." Crews have been sent to clean up the trash.