Locavore eating is still so hot right now, and so is finding new purposes for discarded refuse. Therefore it comes as no surprise that some urban fishermen are using raw chicken and used condoms to catch crabs in Newtown Creek, which, you might recall, was declared a Superfund site last year. more ›

Last month locals called bullshit on the new ban closing parts of Newtown Creek to kayakers and other brave folk willing to find fun in the Superfunded body of water. Now they've got some backup in high places, we're told that Assemblyman Joe Lentol and Councilman Stephen Levin blasted the new and unnecessary ban on recreational boating in Newtown Creek. They will allegedly both testify at tonight's hearing with the Department of Environmental Protection on the issue, encouraging the ban to be lifted. In a letter, they wrote: more ›

With Newtown Creek officially a Superfund site now, the Department of Environmental Protection has closed off the waterway to boats, kayaks, and the like. But the people have spoken, and they want their polluted waters to remain open for recreation! According to the Brooklyn Paper, the EPA claims its a "short-term ban" that will remain in place until the state can analyze the water quality. A DEP official said the decision was made out of “an abundance of caution” with regards to public health. more ›

Newtown Creek (dolphins love it) is following in the footsteps of the raw sewage spewing Gowanus Canal—yesterday the feds made the polluted body of water a Superfund site. It will now be subject to a massive Environmental Protection Agency cleanup, according to the Daily News... one that will likely take many, many years. The EPA's regional administrator declared "this waterway has been contaminated over the past 150 years," and the designation will have them going after those who had a hand in polluting it. more ›

A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana as oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico reportedly washed ashore overnight, threatening fisheries and wildlife in the marshes and islands off the coast. Oil gushing from a blown-out well a mile underwater is estimated to be five times the previous estimate: 5,000 barrels a day, or more than 200,000 gallons. "The oil slick could become the nation's worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez in scope," reports Nola.com. "It imperils hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world's richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life." more ›

Crazy guy Joe Lentol (D-Greenpoint) is the latest to court Google for their precious high-speed internet, which would allow the local masses to update their Twitters faster than the rest of the world (as it should be). But just what would he do for a piece of the action? The assemblyman has offered to swim in the highly polluted Newtown Creek. Which... what else do you get the company that has it all? more ›

State officials say oil spill cleanup efforts under Greenpoint are seriously picking up speed. “In terms of oil recovery, we’re more than a third of the way there,” state Department of Environmental Conservation project manager Ed Hampston told the Brooklyn Paper. With the help of new sludge-sucking pumps (and at the urging of subway artists), workers removed 880,000 gallons of oil last year, more than twice as much as in 2008. Since 2000, the year the cleanup began, 10.8 million gallons of petroleum product have been extracted. more ›

Over the past few days, dolphins have been photographed swimming in the polluted Newtown Creek and the East River. The Fire Department provided Gothamist with additional images of the aquatic mammals captured by Bill Hannon of FDNY Marine Company 6. Despite some scary police scanner dispatches about an "animal rescue" involving a dolphin near the Brooklyn Navy Yard yesterday afternoon, the Post reports the dolphin—which was last seen in the waters off of Kent Street—appears to be doing just fine. Rob DiGiovanni, director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, told the tabloid: "At this point right now, it seems the animal is free swimming and doesn't seem to be in need of assistance." more ›

[UPDATE]: Dolphins are everywhere! The day before a dolphin was photographed in the putrid Newtown Creek, a fireboat captain says he saw two dolphins swimming in the East River. Captain Bill Hannan told the Daily News he spotted the animals near the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School educator Roy Arezzo and a colleague were "just amazed" when they saw a 7-foot dolphin in Newtown Creek. "We just stood there in awe—shouting, telling it to go back the other way. ... This is a once-in-a-lifetime sighting." more ›

Just hours after a coyote was spotted in Chelsea and a seal turned up on the shores of Staten Island, a teacher from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School reportedly saw a dolphin swimming in the Newtown Creek. According to a press release issued by the environmental group Riverkeeper, the educator and a colleague alerted authorities after seeing a dolphin in the fetid body of water, which could soon be deemed a Superfund site like the Gowanus Canal. more ›

Testing of Greenpoint's groundwater has revealed contamination by dry cleaning chemical, with alarmingly high levels found under the corner of Kingsland and Norman Avenues, right by McGolrick Park. Investigators started testing the area in 2008, and despite resistance from homeowners, they traced the pollutants and are naming names: They say former businesses in the area, including Spic and Span Cleaners, Klink Cosmo Cleaners, and current businesses ACME Metal Works and ACME Steel and Brass Foundry are to blame. But what's a Greenpointer to do? more ›

You know what doesn't help out Newtown Creek's reputation right now, while being considered for Superfunding? The Greenpoint commercial building owner who has been dumping sewage into the body of water. Reportedly Jose Torres, the owner of the properties at 251, 257 and 259 North Henry Street, was charged in an 81-count indictment this week. "Authorities said that instead of being hooked up to the sewer system, the commercial buildings had their toilets and sinks connected directly to a storm-water drainage system underground." Torres faces a fine of nearly $2 million. more ›

Superfund is finally coming to Brooklyn, but not where you might expect it. On December 23rd the Bloomberg Administration announced that it will support the designation of Newtown Creek, which runs through North Brooklyn and parts of Queens, as a Superfund site. Newtown Creek was recommended for the Superfund by the EPA last year. But don't go getting any ideas, Gowanus; the city still has no intentions to extend this designation to your infamous canal. more ›

As part of our continuing Open House New York coverage, we visited the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant this morning. It is enormous: dozens of buildings on 53 acres at the northern edge of Greenpoint. You've probably seen the huge silver digester eggs from the BQE— at night they're lit up with pretty blue light. An overview of what goes on there: "with a rated capacity of 1.2 million m³/d, this is New York City's largest wastewater pump station and serves an area of 4,162 acres of land, fed by 180 miles of sewers. " Polshek Partnership is responsible for the plant's design— check out their site for some cool progress pictures. more ›

As previously mentioned, Mayor Bloomberg is now facing two NYC waterways becoming potential Superfund sites; the Gowanus Canal and more recently Newtown Creek. While supporters of the Superfund status say that Bloomberg is making a political decision where he should be making a scientific one, the mayor recently tried to explain his motive$, saying: "Better we can find developers that can put the money in and pay for the cleanup right now because they will get a benefit of being able to develop the land around there." more ›

As the EPA fights for the rights to clean up the Gowanus Canal, they've just recommended another one of New York's most contaminated waterways get Superfund status. Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou told the NY Post, “Newtown Creek is one of the most grossly-contaminated waterways in the country. By listing the Creek, EPA can focus on doing the extensive sampling needed to figure out the best way to address the contamination and see the work through.” more ›

Apparently New Yorkers make so much waste that the city's Department of Environmental Protection has to ship NYC sludge to the Garden State. According to the Daily News, "Sludge production at the Newtown Creek sewage treatment plant - the last of the city's 14 plants to upgrade its systems - has shot up 28% in five years." City Councilman David Yassky is concerned that the Newtown Creek upgrade will end up costing $5 billion, over twice its initial estimate, and said, "There is just something very wrong with DEP's management of its construction projects." At any rate, the DEP thinks the deal with NJ was necessary (and it also means that less waste will go into the East River); deputy commissioner of wastewater treatment Doug Greeley joked, "[Otherwise] It would be constipating New York City." more ›

Toxic vapors are intruding into Greenpoint homes, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is having difficulty assessing the problem because many residents will not allow their homes to be tested, according to a scary report in the Times today. The vapors in question are not wafting from the famous oil plume in Greenpoint's groundwater that went undetected until 1978, but are believed to be left over from other businesses that no longer operate in the neighborhood. more ›

Responding to pressure from Representatives Anthony Weiner and Nydia Velazquez, the E.P.A. has agreed to conduct “preliminary tests” that could lead to Newtown Creek being named a federal Superfund site, City Room reports. In 1978, the Coast Guard realized that a toxic oil plume in Greenpoint's groundwater had been seeping into the creek. A study the following year estimated the contamination at 17 million gallons and 55 acres wide, but it may actually be closer to 30 million gallons, according to a study released last year. If the E.P.A. tests qualify the site for Superfund status, the cleanup will be aided by millions in federal money, and the E.P.A. could sue Exxon Mobil and other companies for polluting the area. And last year attorney general Andrew Cuomo filed his own lawsuit. more ›

Yesterday, Representatives Anthony Weiner and Nydia Velazquez held a press conference to ask the EPA to name Newtown Creek a Superfund site. The lawmakers want federal funding to speed up the slow progress on the cleanup of millions of gallons of oil that began in the 1940s and 1950s. Weiner said in his press conference that if the current rate of cleanup were to continue, it might not be done until 2026. more ›

The presence of oil in parts of Greenpoint is well documented, but it looks like someone wants the oil to be cleaned up. This morning there was artwork in the Queens-bound Nassau Avenue G stop asking for a stop to the oil spills. The artwork shows drops of oil on the walls of the station, pools of oil collected on the floors, and paper towels for straphangers to clean up the spill. Reader Shannan tells us that the paper towels said something to the effect of "no more oil spills." more ›

Riders hope that low grades for the G line will eventually lead to improvements, while plans are in place to make the G a more usable line. Despite being the two largest boroughs in New York City, there is only one train line dedicated to getting people from Brooklyn (2.5 million people) to Queens (2.3 million people). All other passages must make their way from one borough, through Manhattan (1.6 million people), and then on... more ›

In the shadows of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, residents of Greenpoint will soon be able to go on a nature walk. The Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the sewage plant, is officially opening the Newtown Creek Nature Walk this Saturday. The 800-foot nature walk along Newtown Creek, which took 9-years and $3.2 million to complete, is landscaped and features access points to the polluted creek. more ›

State attorney general Andrew Cuomo filed suit against oil giant Exxon Mobil to clean up an oil spill along Newtown Creek that is estimated to be twice as large as the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. The suit also names BP, Chevron, KeySpan and Phelps Dodge and is seeking action and fines against the companies that spilled approximately 20 million gallons of fuel into the ground and water of industrial Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The New York Times reports that environmental group Riverkeeper filed its own suit against Exxon Mobil in 2004 after it found the ground in Greenpoint heavily contaminated and benzene fumes were even emanating into the air. more ›

New York magazine has a great examination of the Greenpoint pollution problem lurking beneath the neighborhood's surface, and floating along the surface of Newtown Creek. It describes a ten million gallon reservoir of industrial pollution that includes, fuel oil, naptha, gasoline, parrafin wax and likely many more materials that were used along the industrial area of the waterway that separates Brooklyn and Queens. more ›

The city may be on the hook for an additional $200 million after the winning bidder on a contract for a proposed underwater filtration plant to be built under VanCortlandt Park said it could not take the work. The second-place bidder is currently contacting suppliers to see if it could complete the work for the $1.3 billion it bid last year. The proposed water treatment plant would filter the 10% of New York's water supply that it draws from the Croton Reservoir System. We wrote about the city's water filtration issues last summer. Water filtration for the city was mandated by the courts back in 1998, but things move slowly on projects this big and expensive. The city currently just treats its water with chemicals. more ›

There may be March Madness in the air, but East Village Idiot has the cure for New Yorkers who can't get behind the NCAA: March Radness, which take 64 disparate NYC moments/ people/ objects/ stores/ trends/ nonsense and sees who will reign supreme. more ›