Date of Incident: Depending upon the contaminant of concern, the amounts discharged have varied over time; however, chronic release of hazardous substances began as early as the late 1800s.
Location: Newtown Creek, located between the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn (Queens and Kings Counties), New York, is a 3.5 mile long waterway that drains to the East River, a tidal strait connecting Upper New York Bay and Long Island Sound.
Trustees:
Case status: Pre Assessment Phase.
Overview: State and federal natural resource trustees are conducting a natural resource damage assessment for Newtown Creek to assess and restore the public’s natural resources and services, possibly injured by the release of hazardous substances. Newtown Creek has been used by industry for nearly 150 years and the water body has a long history of degraded water quality and sediment contamination. Abandoned and active industrial sites along Newtown Creek may be continuing sources of contamination. A 17-30 million gallon oil spill in Newtown Creek originating from the Greenpoint neighborhood immediately north of the creek has been observed since 1978; recovery processes have collected approximately nine million gallons. The fresh water flow to Newtown Creek is entirely from groundwater, stormwater, and waste water discharges. Contaminants in the creek have impaired natural resources and/or human use of these resources. The extent of contamination and its effect on natural resources and their services will determine the amount and type of restoration needed to address any associated injuries.
