GREENPOINT – Now that efforts to clean up the Gowanus Canal and its surrounding areas have seriously gotten under way, it may soon be the turn of Newtown Creek, one of the most polluted waterways in North America.

Newtown Creek, which separates northwest Brooklyn from Queens, was at first used to transport agricultural produce to market, but as the area’s economy changed, it became lined with factories. By the end of the 19th century, its banks contained kerosene treatment plants, varnish manufacturers, glue manufacturers and fertilizer companies, among others.

In the 20th century, oil refineries predominated, and an accident or series of accidents around 1950 contributed to a 55-acre, 17-million-gallon oil spill in the area – bigger than the notorious Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Now, the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, the Riverkeeper environmental group and the Newtown Creek Alliance have received an award of $625,454 in New York State Brownfields Opportunity Area (“BOA�) grant money for a community-driven planning and redevelopment analysis of the creek and its surrounding contaminated area.

Funds will be utilized to assess redevelopment opportunities for contaminated sites along the creek, emphasizing high-performance, environmentally sustainable industrial uses, and parks and wetlands creation. The Newtown Creek study area includes portions of Long Island City, Maspeth, Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, and Bushwick.

“This is exciting news for Newtown Creek and its communities,� said Basil Seggos, Riverkeeper’s chief investigator. “The grant will enable residents and businesses to chart a course for a cleaner waterway, new parks, expanded economic opportunities, and the cleanup of toxic sites. A bright future for the area is within reach.�

Riverkeeper is one of the parties, along with City Councilman David Yassky, the state Attorney General’s Office and a group of local residents, that have sued ExxonMobil, the successor to several of the companies that had refineries on the creek’s bank.

The plaintiffs have accused ExxonMobil of not cleaning up the creek fast enough or thoroughly enough under its obligations stemming from a 1990 agreement with the state. ExxonMobil, in past statements, has replied that it has already recovered 9 million gallons of spilled oil.

“For six years the Newtown Creek Alliance has taken significant steps toward cleaning up Newtown Creek, and has been able to do so wholly through the dedication of members and volunteers,� said Katie Schmid, coordinator of the Newtown Creek Alliance. “This money will allow us to progress even further towards making a cleaner Newtown Creek an asset to New York City residents and businesses.�

At least six state-listed Superfund sites are in the immediate vicinity of the Creek, and dozens of other sites are contaminated from former or current uses. More than 2.7 billion gallons of raw sewage and polluted storm water discharge into the creek each year. All of the creek’s historic 1.5 square miles of tidal wetlands have been lost, according to Riverkeeper, and there is only one active park on the creek.

The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, Riverkeeper and the BOA will work closely with existing property owners, local residents, businesses, and local officials to identify sites and uses that contribute to pollution in and around the creek. Through these partnerships, the state will create opportunities for environmental remediation, sustainable industrial practices and redevelopment of now-contaminated areas.

The BOA program, created in 2003 along with the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, provides communities with financial assistance to help compile basic information about areas near or around brownfields.

The State Department of State awarded a total of $7.25 million to 50 local governments and community groups across New York under the BOA program. The Newtown Creek BOA project received the largest award of all the recipients. The Newtown Creek BOA will launch in late spring to early summer.

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, who represents the area, said, “Newtown Creek has suffered enough, as the site of our nation’s largest oil spill and the victim of decades of neglect. It’s far past time to recognize that this is one of New York’s most serious environmental health issues and must be addressed as such.�

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008
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