The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its first public information session for its federal Superfund nomination for Newtown Creek, one of the preliminary steps in the agency’s lengthy process towards environmental remediation of the polluted waterway that separating Brooklyn and Queens
The meeting, which is open to the public, will occur on Thursday, November 5, in St. Cecilia’s Auditorium (24 North Henry St.) at 7 p.m.
According to EPA officials, the hearing will have a similar structure to a public hearing regarding the Gowanus Canal held this past May in Carroll Gardens, where agency officials will give a detailed presentation about the Superfund process and answer questions from community members. Newtown Creek was listed by the EPA as a national priority on September 23, 2009.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn) welcomed the announcement, proclaiming that the EPA should move forward with designating Newtown Creek under the Superfund program which she believes “establishes an equitable process for restoring accountability.
“What we have before us is a means to fully protect the well being of New Yorkers, as well as ensure future growth and responsible development in our neighborhoods,” said Velazquez. “Efforts to transform Brooklyn’s waterfront have brought the community together and have resulted in the many innovative projects underway. Superfund designation will complement these efforts. By working together we will fully restore both the functionality and beauty of these sites.”
Assemblymember Joe Lentol (D-Williamsburg) urged neighborhood residents to attend the hearing in order to find out more about different aspects of the Superfund process that could affect homeowners and local businesses.
“I highly encourage everyone to attend any and all information sessions because an informed public is a powerful public,” said Lentol. “And when it comes to a vital environmental issue like this, that affects our community, we need all the power we can get.”
Those unable to attend the hearing can still make public comments. The public comment period regarding Newtown Creek’s Superfund status has already been extended by the EPA an additional 30 days, to December 23, 2009.
Newtown Creek is part of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, which the EPA has designated as an “estuary of national significance.” The waterway has had a history of industrial activity since the mid 1800s, when more than fifty facilities, including oil refineries, petrochemical plants, fertilizer and glue factories were located on or near its banks. Raw sewage was poured into the waterway in 1856, and the Creek remained one of the busiest ports in the country through World War II.
Since 1980, the EPA has taken sediment and surface water samples in environmental tests along the Creek, which have revealed the presence of pesticides, metals, PCBs, and volatile organic compounds. The latest round of testing took place in early 2009, which the EPA used in its decision to recommend Superfund designation for the site.
For instructions to submit comments to the EPA, go to http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/pubcom.htm or contact Ildefonso Acosta, Region 2 Acting NPL Coordinator, at 212-637-4344 or acosta.ildefonso@epa.gov.
