SITE REMEDIATION AND
EMERGENCY RESPONSE NEWSLETTER
October 2010
No. 145
Newtown Creek in New York City Designated a Superfund Site
Now that Newton Creek in New York City has been designated a Superfund site, EPA will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the heavily polluted urban waterway to determine the type of cleanup required and to identify continuing sources of pollution.
The creek is approximately four miles long and is located between Brooklyn and Queens.
Water samples from Newtown Creek, from a branch of the East River and from part of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary have revealed the presence of pesticides, heavy metals, PCBs, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other contaminants. Numerous oil spills from the many refineries and fuel storage centers operating along the creek since the 1800s have contributed to the contamination. The spills have released between 17 million and 30 million gallons of oil, polluting an aquifer, the creek and surrounding neighborhoods.
The Superfund cleanup will address only the water and sediment in Newton Creek. Exxon Mobil and BP are among the oil companies identified by EPA as responsible parties and will help pay for cleanup. The city is also a responsible party, though EPA says there is no estimate yet of its liability.
The EPA environmental investigation and cleanup could take 10 to 15 years. The agency expects the cost to exceed that of the Gowanus Canal cleanup, which is estimated to be between $300 million and $500 million. EPA says that cleanup will likely include dredging. A feasibility study will be completed as the first step of the investigation.