Newtown Creek to get a little bit of a facelift (emphasis on little)
Mar 24th, 2008 by Jervey
Newtown Creek is one of NYC’s dirtiest little secrets. By now, most folks know about the enormous oil spill that still sits stagnant, but if you need a recap, this Mother Jones article from last fall is a great start.
Well there’s some (a little) good news on the Newtown front. There are some funds rolling in to help remediate the brownfields around the spill site.
From EcoPolitics Daily:
An award of $625,454 was given to the The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, Riverkeeper, and the Newton Creek Alliance on March 20, 2008. The award was given in New York State Brownfield Opportunity Area funding for community driven planning analysis.
The earnings will be used for redeveloping sites along the creek. Redevelopment includes the creation of parks and wetlands, and improved environmental infrastructure. The Newton Creek study area includes portions of Long Island City, Maspeth, Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, and Bushwick.
The Newton Creek has a legacy of over a century of industrial use. It is where a 55-acre, 17 million gallon oil spill (one of the largest in U.S. history) happened. More than 2.7 billion gallons of raw sewage are pumped and discharged into the creek each year. All of the creeks 1.5 square miles of tidal wetlands have been lost.
The State Department of State has given away $7.25 million to 50 different local governments and community groups under the BOA program. However, the Newton Creek received the largest of all awards.
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez said “Newton Creek has suffered enough, the site of our nations largest oil spill and the victim of neglect. It is past time to recognize that this is one of New York’s most serious environmental health issues and must be addressed as such.” [EcoPolitics Daily]
For more background, last year, VBS (Vice Broadcast System), of all places, had a really incredible series looking at the health and environmental problems in northern Brooklyn in their Toxic Brooklyn series. Here’s one installment touring Newtown Creek: