BROOKLYN — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared that it will nominate Newtown Creek — home to the largest coastal oil spill in American history and the most polluted waterway in the Northeast — to its National Priorities List of Superfund sites.

Beginning in 2006, Brooklyn Congresspersons Nydia Velazquez and Anthony Weiner urged the EPA to consider Newtown Creek, which divides Greenpoint from Long Island City, Queens, as a Superfund site. Last year they secured a commitment from the EPA to conduct a new series of tests for contaminants at four high-priority sites along the creek.

This week’s EPA nomination follows years of studies, testing, cleanup efforts — and lawsuits. “Every year, Newtown Creek receives 14 million gallons of combined sewage overflow, a mixture of rainwater runoff, raw domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater that overwhelms treatment plants every time it rains,� says the local Newtown Creek Alliance. “There are also discharges from numerous pollution sources.�

As for the oil spill, discovered in 1978, it originated after a series of industrial accidents at several now-defunct oil refineries on the canal’s banks in the 1950s. The spill, which has seeped into the canal and underneath neighboring homes and businesses, was originally estimated at 17 million gallons.

While ExxonMobil, the successor to several of the companies that owned the refineries, has been doing cleanup work on the canal, many neighborhood activists felt the work was too slow and too little. In 2004, Councilmen David Yassky and Eric Gioia, as well as the environmental group Riverkeeper, sued the oil giant.

Now that the site has been nominated to the National Priorities List, a 60-day public comment period begins.

Rep. Weiner said, “I am pleased to see that while the oil companies lag in their cleanup responsibilities and put the health and safety of Newtown Creek’s residents at further risk, the EPA has decide to take action and hold these companies responsible for their negligence.�

Rep. Velázquez added, “The contamination in and around Newtown Creek is of catastrophic proportions and Greenpoint residents have suffered the consequences for too long. Inclusion in EPA’s National Priorities List may help determine the best approach for cleaning up the creek.�

Philip Musegaas, Hudson River program director for Riverkeeper, said, “Riverkeeper is grateful to Congresswoman Velazquez and Congressman Weiner for their support on this issue, and we will actively participate in this process as it moves forward to ensure that local residents’ concerns are addressed, and a clear plan to clean up the creek is put in place.�

If the site is designated a Superfund site, a four-step process will be initiated to clean up the area. First, the site would undergo immediate stabilization to stop any pressing threats to the community, if necessary, by taking measures such as erecting a security fence or repairing a hazardous waste storage unit. Then the EPA would perform a comprehensive investigation of the site and analyze cleanup options.

The EPA would then work to develop a plan to clean up the site, and finally, the EPA would clean up the site or force responsible parties to do the necessary work.

Arsenic, Without The Old Lace

Pollution along the Newtown Creek goes back to the mid-19th century. The country’s first kerosene refinery (1854) and first modern oil refinery (1867) were established on its banks. By the 1880s, there were more than 100 distilleries on both sides of the creek, and these were soon joined by other industries.

Even today, there are some industrial businesses on the canal’s banks. The Newtown Creek Alliance points out that there is no fresh water flowing into the creek and that its water is largely stagnant, meaning that most of the pollutants that have entered it over the years are still there.

Among the contaminants in the creek, according to Riverkeeper, are arsenic, mercury, chromium and PCBs. While Newtown Creek is often compared to the Gowanus Canal, it doesn’t have the equivalent of the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel and Pump, which pumps fresh water into the Gowanus.

Still, says the alliance, “Recently, life is returning to the creek. You can find blue crabs at the mouth, fish swim in its waters, and waterfowl are prevalent. Wetland plants are taking over the abandoned bulkheads and sediment piles and school children are growing oysters, which serve as natural water filters.�

A boat tour of Newtown Creek was one of the most popular local tours offered by the now-defunct Center for the Urban Environment.

— Raanan Geberer
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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