EPA Considers Newton Creek for Superfund

The Environmental Protection Agency is recommending Newton Creek, the 3.5-mile estuary between Brooklyn and Queens, as a Superfund site, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. The waterway has a long history of pollution, beginning in the 19th century when Charles Pratt opened Astral Oil, the country’s first oil refinery, in 1867. Now fast forward to 1978 when the public became aware of oil spillage into the creek from a series of spills and leaks from oil refineries along the banks. The amount of oil in the creek has been estimated to be up to 30 million gallons—since the creek has no current, the oil combined with sewage overflow and industrial waste water has created a 15-foot sludge of “black mayonnaise” on the creek bed. If the creek makes the National Priorities List, then the federal government will intervene first with immediate measures for public safety followed by long-term investigations and clean-up efforts. As we mentioned on Wednesday, the Gowanus Canal, a similarly polluted waterway, is also up for Superfund attention, which has met with resistance from developers and Mayor Bloomberg because it will halt private investment. The mayor doesn’t seem to have issued an official statement on the creek since the EPA’s Wednesday announcement, but the Gotham Gazette mentions that in May a Bloomberg spokesman said: The city hasn’t yet taken a position on the potential Superfund designation of Newtown Creek. We’re doing internal analysis now and plan to meet with the EPA next month before expressing any view. The city plans to invest nearly $1.9 billion in Newtown Creek related projects over the next decade.
EPA Recommends Newton Creek for Superfund List [EPA]
Newton Creek Nominated as Superfund Site [Brooklyn Eagle]
Newton Creek Clean-up Efforts [PBS]
Riverkeeper, Feds, State Jostle to Clean Gowanus [Brownstoner]
Newton Creek, Here Comes the EPA [Gotham Gazette]
Photo by Jose Hernandez