Dividing Western Queens from Northern Brooklyn, Newtown Creek is one of the most polluted waterways in the United States and traverses some of the most neglected neighborhoods in New York City before trickling into the East River. The health of the Creek and its surrounding communities have fallen victim to both the industrial boom in American manufacturing during the first half of the 20th century and its subsequent decline post World War II. Sixty years ago, when the Creek was the busiest industrial port in the Northeastern United States, oil refineries, fertilizers factories, and chemical plants lined the banks of the Creek and unregulated production tainted the waters, contaminated the soils, and fouled the air. Now, although industrial pollution remains a problem, the decline of the Creek's manufacturing base has brought a new set of problems: decay, neglect, and unemployment.
Of the 174 lots that form the Creek waterfront, 69 are known or suspected to harbor contaminants; much of this land lies abandoned or underutilized as a result. At any given time, plumes of oil can be seen seeping into the Creek from the massive 17 million gallon ExxonMobil Greenpoint oil spill, and within 1 mile of the Creek there are hundreds of brownfields, 10 State Superfund sites, 19 waste transfer stations, the largest sewage treatment facility in New York City, 19 registered point source air emissions facilities, and dozens of instances of hazardous vapor intrusion in homes and businesses. The Creek is also bisected by the BQE and its attendant exhaust fumes and, adding insult to injury, the city discharges 2.7 billion gallons of raw sewage and polluted stormwater into it annually, i.e. when it rains your toilet ends up in the Creek.
Like a canary in a coalmine, the Creek is a telling indicator of the toxic exposures faced by the surrounding communities. Residents suffer from asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis at rates that far exceed the city average, they are more likely to develop cancer than Americans living elsewhere, and their children are more likely to be circulating dangerous doses of lead through their bodies.
The health of the communities surrounding the Creek is also compromised by the lack of open space and recreational facilities. Deprived of parks, many residents and workers make do with the lackluster spots the Creek does offer, lounging on precarious bulkheads and trash-strewn street ends. And despite being too polluted to safely swim or fish, kids are frequently spotted taking a dip in the Creek and a sizeable number of local residents augment their meals with fish and crabs caught in the Creek.
But the news about Newtown Creek is not all bleak. The Creek and its surrounding businesses and neighborhoods are still vital. Thousands of manufacturing jobs remain, infrastructure indispensable to the functioning of the city is sited here, and the neighborhoods near the Creek are experiencing a renaissance of sorts as tenants scour the boroughs for affordable housing. And recently, nature is beginning to return: blue crabs have been spotted at the Creek's mouth, waterfowl are found in the mud flats, and wetland plants are taking over the abandoned bulkheads and sediment piles.
