Prepare Your Public Comment! Newtown Creek (snowy) Winter Bike Tour Tomorrow

UPDATE: Looking out the window I am realizing a bike tour is a bit ridiculous. So when we meet at the office tomorrow we will decide whether we want to ride or walk to the sites, or we may even just have Ryan lead an history talk in the office and stay warm. :-)

Hey all, tomorrow (Sunday, Dec 20) we will be doing a reprise of our Newtown Creek history bike tour in order to give you a crash education on our neighborhood's most notorious toxic site. Led by Ryan Kuonen, this tour will give you some context for the current controversy surrounding the Creek's potential federal Superfund status. We're meeting at 10 am at the NAG office, 110 Kent Street right next to East River Park (N.8 St) This is written as a bike tour, so please take good precautions! Wear warm clothes and a helmet since it will be snowy and possibly slippery.


Article about the recent community board 1 meeting with the EPA
WNYC piece on Newtown Creek

Check out the work of our friends over at Newtown Creek Alliance who have some great links regarding the Creek.

The gov. is accepting public comments regarding the Superfund status up until Dec 23rd-- that's soon! So hopefully we'll see you tomorrow, full of warm coffee and ready to learn! Then afterwards you can head indoors to your computers and share your thoughts re: Superfund status.

By Email or Phone

Contact the EPA's New York State Docket Coordinator Dennis Munhall at munhall.dennis@epa.gov or (212) 637-4343 and identify your comment by docket number: "EPA-HQ-SFUND-2009-0588-0005"

By Visiting the Web

Visit www.regulations.gov, use document number "EPA-HQ-SFUND-2009-0588-0005" as a keyword search, and once at the document, click on the "Send a Comment" speech bubble.

By Mail

comment to the following address:
Docket Coordinator, Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CERCLA Docket Office (Mail Code 5305T)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460

George Trakas at the Water's Edge: Newtown Creek

More information

Greenpoint Nature Walk

When I've been on the mix of high design, landscape planning and industrial wonderland that is Greenpoint Nature Walk in the evening, the DEP employees have checked to make sure they were not locking me in, but apparently that is not what happened to one of our readers this week:

I was at the Greenpoint Nature Walk yesterday. I was hanging out with my friend, we were close to the entrance/exit at 5:40pm when we started to hear the gates closing. we walked to the exit where the guy was about to lock us in and he said "Just in time!" (He had a DEP truck)
I said, wait, were you going to look inside to see if there were other people in there?
And he said "no!"

I am not sure how this thing usually works, but it was still light out. I think we were lucky as there really isn't any other way to escape that place. Are they supposed to take a look first?

My guess is "yes" they are supposed to make sure they are not locking people in with the Newtown Creek at night.

Addendum
I spoke with Laura Hofman and Christine Holawacz of the Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee (Christine is also a NAG board member). NCMC was responsible for getting the park created. They are reporting this to the DEP and making sure they are more vigilant. --Mikki

Addendum to the Addendum
This from Christine: "There is supposed to be a guard walking the Nature Walk prior to it being closed by the plant worker. I just went and spoke to the superintendent and he assured me that this will not be repeated."

Thanks to the person who alerted us to this!--Mikki

Newtown Creek Neighborhoods Community Mapping Workshop

In partnership with the Newtown Creek Alliance, HabitatMap invites you to participate in a community mapping workshop at LaGuardia Community College on the evening of Monday, October 20th from 6:30-8:30. Space is limited so please RSVP here to reserve your spot.

At the Newtown Creek Neighborhoods Community Mapping Workshop participants will:

• discover how web-based tools can magnify the impact of community organizing campaigns;
• hear from experienced organizers who have been active in the Newtown Creek Neighborhoods for decades; and
• learn how to navigate and mine city, state, and federal databases for information relevant to their own personal health and the health of their families and communities.

Participants should come prepared to begin mapping their neighborhoods so bring any relevant documents and photos but most importantly, bring your ideas.

Questions:
Contact Michael Heimbinder at mheimbinder(at)habitatmap(dot)org.

Location:
The Newtown Creek Neighborhoods Community Mapping Workshop will be held at LaGuardia Community College, building E, room 228 on the evening of Monday October 20th from 6:30-8:30pm. The entrance to building E is located at 31-10 Thomson Ave. between 31st St. and Van Dam St.

Oooo, That Smell!

The Greenpoint Courier has an article on why the sewage plant has been stinking up the hood more recently. DEP's answer: a bunch of gross industrial incidents and excavation of "oil" (by which they probably mean polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons- the remnants of historic oil refining that stink to high heaven.)

We also have a theory that the cooler weather this summer created more "inversion layers" that trapped the smell the plant always gives off closer to the ground instead up letting it disperse higher in the atmosphere (like when NYC smelled like maple syrup). Don't worry- it's not northrax.

When questioned by community members at a Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee (NCMC) meeting at the Plant's 329 Greenpoint Avenue operations headquarters, DEP officials and plant operators said that the causes of the odors have been found and remediated.

"This doesn't happen often. Rarely do the [waste containers] overflow from the grit chambers. It was cleaned up on the same day," said Jerry Fragias, a DEP employee at the wastewater treatment plant, referring to a recent odor-causing event.

This past summer, odors have come from three locations at the wastewater treatment plant site: an overflow of an outdoor garbage unit, also known as a grit chamber, containing wastewater residue, the excavation of oil contaminated soil on the plant's grounds, and an eruption of a bacterial foam growing inside the plant's egg-shaped digester units. Each produces its own distinct smell, making it easy for DEP employees to trace the cause of the odor when a community resident registers a complaint with the city agency.

(with apologies for referencing Skynyrd in the title)

Photo credit: Newtown Creek Sewage Treatment Plant digesters under constrution by "_dorothy_" via flickr creative commons license

Does the Nature of Newtown Creek Need to be "Redesigned"?

An New York Times article in yesterday's paper describes a new approach to natural restoration in heavily-industrialized areas:

Designing nature might seem to be an oxymoron or an act of hubris. But instead of simply recommending that polluting farms and factories be shut, Professor Berger specializes in creating new ecosystems in severely damaged environments: redirecting water flow, moving hills, building islands and planting new species to absorb pollution, to create natural, though "artificial," landscapes that can ultimately sustain themselves...

He wants the government to buy a tract of nearly 500 acres in a strategic valley through which the most seriously polluted waters now pass. There, he intends to create a wetland that would serve as a natural cleansing station before the waters flowed on to the sea and residential areas.

Of course, better regulation is also needed, to curb the dumping of pollutants into the canal. But a careful mix of the right kinds of plants, dirt, stones and drainage channels would filter the water as it slowly passed through, he said. The land would also function as a new park...

"The difference between me and W.W.F. is that when I look at this place, I never think about going back," he said, referring to the wildlife fund. "The solution has to be as artificial as the place. We are trying to invent an ecosystem in the midst of an entirely engineered, polluted landscape."

Read full article

Could such an approach be brought to Newtown Creek? Could we maintain the creek for maritime and industrial uses and redesign its ecosystem (such as it is) it to decrease pollution?

Photo of Newtown Creek by Victoria Belanger via Flickr (Creative Commons License)

Tickets Still Available for Sept 14th Tour of Newtown Creek

A word from our friends at Newtown Creek Alliance:

NEWTOWN CREEK CRUISE SEPTEMBER 14, 2008

A three hour cruise exploring one of New York Harbors most historic waterways.

Come aboard for an intense Newtown Creek exploration! Our comfortable charter boat will travel the length of Newtown Creek. We will also cover English Kills. The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge and Metropolitan Avenue Bridge will open on our signal so we can view the furthest reaches of the Creek and English Kills.

Souvenir Tour Brochure with historical information and vintage maps.

Narration by experienced historical and environmental guest speakers.

Complementary snacks and soft drinks will be served.

Departs at 1:00 P.M. sharp from Skyport Marina, East River at 23rd Street, Manhattan. Easy to reach by M21 and M23 bus.

Sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee
Co-hosted by Newtown Creek Alliance

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

http://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/

http://www.nycharities.org/event/event.asp?CE_ID=3007

http://workingharbor.com/special%20tours.htm#newtown_creek

Newtown Creek news

A note from our friends at the Newtown Creek Alliance that the EPA is going to take a closer look at the creek. The upshot is that this could be a path on the road to Superfund status, which would mean addressing any imminent danger to human health as well as getting on the funding list. The downside is that Superfund is a long, drawn-out process and that the tax on chemical feedstocks that supported the Superfund program has expired, thus limiting funding.

Late this past week the United States Environmental Protection Agency agreed to conduct an assessment of data concerning pollution in Newtown Creek and the surrounding properties to determine whether the Creek or any near-by sites should be listed on the federal Superfund. EPA contacted Congress Members Weiner and Velazquez and Senator Clinton's office quickly following their requests to list the creek, and that is quite a coup, as no one expected the requests made by the elected officials to be entertained at all, much less granted. I want to thank the work of Congress Members Weiner and Velazquez, Senator Clinton, and Riverkeeper for all of their work to accomplish this. However, this is the result of several years of tireless advocacy by everyone receiving this, so good job.

They also note that Basil Seggos of Riverkeeper--one of the main forces behind the efforts to clean up the creek and investigate the health effects on Greenpoint residents--is leaving to start a new job in the recycling world. However, he will remain in an advisory role for the Alliance. We wish him best of luck in his new endeavors.

More Information
NYT's CityRoom has a very detailed post about the legal context of the EPA's move.

Tour Newtown Creek

The Working Harbor Committee is setting up another one of their Newtown Creek Cruises for September 14th. It's pricey--$50--and weirdly leaves from 23rd Street in the city, but highly recommended. I went up the Creek with the Urban Divers a few years back and it was a really intense experience. Some parts of it are unrecognizable as water, and then in other spots you can see little piers and things that hint of how great it would be if this waterway were cleaned up and accessible to people, not just corporations.

Get the info here.

-Mikki

Newtown Creek Brownfield Map

The Newtown Creek Alliance has created a map that shows the brownfields, superfund sites, emissions facilities and waste transfer stations that surround the polluted waterway. It's sobering and informative.




They used a new tool for environmental justice groups called Habitat Map.

Thanks to the indefatigable Teresa Toro for letting us know about the map. For more on the Newtown Creek Alliance and the good work they do, visit their site.

—Mikki

Putting Environmental Justice on the Map

Michael Heimbinder, founder of habitatmap.org, presented a new tool for environmental justice to the Newtown Creek Alliance last Wednesday evening. The new website shows a number of environmental issues, brownfields, and companies on a map, especially around the Newtown Creek that separates Brooklyn and Queens.

The website also functions as a wiki, so users can contribute and edit information, as well as place new geographic entries on the site. It's worth browsing around- there's already a great deal of information on the site.