Three transects containing monitoring wells have been placed in freshwater wetlands and adjacent uplands of Buxton Woods. Cape Hatteras Water Association cooperated with the Park Service in the selection of the sites. These are located in the association's present well field, the Buxton Woods Coastal Preserve which has been proposed as a future well field, and a control site approximately two miles east of the present well field. An electronic monitoring system frequently records precise water levels in each well. Study plots established near various well points are being examined for long term vegetation changes in response to water levels.
More information is needed before conclusions can be reached.
The Water Resource Division of the National Park Service's Washington Office allocated funds to expand the project in 1994. This new funding will allow the transects to be lengthened to encompass the entire width of the island - from ocean to sound. This expansion will allow a more complete picture of the ground water system. In order to extend the transects to the island's sound side, some private landowners will be asked to allow placement of temporary monitoring wells on their property. The number of vegetation study plots will be increased.