Cleaning Up the Creek.

It has been said that the process is expected to take 18 to 22 years and could cost up to $1 billion - funded by the city and the five companies that dumped pollutants into Newtown creek. 

Some FACTS:

• "Over the last century, between 17 and 30 million gallons of oil were spilled and leaked from ExxonMobil’s historic refinery and storage facilities into the soil and groundwater in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. These petroleum discharges formed an over 50 acre underground petroleum plume that underlies local businesses and a residential section of Greenpoint." 
• The spill has been oozing under Greenpoint for five decades, destroying the local aquifer, rendering more than 50 acres of land undevelopable, settling under more than 100 homes on three residential blocks, severely contaminating Newtown Creek, and threatening aquatic life harbor-wide.
• According to tests the EPA has already conducted at Newtown Creek, potentially harmful contaminants such as pesticides, metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in Newtown Creek along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are potentially harmful contaminants that can easily evaporate into the air.

-  Clean-up operations run by ExxonMobil have also occurred in the “on-site” section, however distinguish how much of the historic spill has been addressed is difficult since these efforts have aimed at remediating additional spills occurring on the property in recent years.

- The water pumped out is treated for contamination and pumped into Newtown Creek. The petroleum product removed is shipped by ExxonMobil to New Jersey for reprocessing and sale.

- ExxonMobil has only recovered a small portion of the historic spill, and the rate of recovery is slowing. In 2003, ExxonMobil admitted that recovery wells in the “off-site” section of the spill – the largest section, containing an estimated 14 million gallons – have recovered less than 4 million gallons of spilled product.

-Due to the presence of carcinogenic hydrocarbons, the aquifer cannot be directly tapped as a drinking water source. The aquifer still serves as a recharge zone for the aquifers in the southeastern portion of Queens County that are tapped as a source for drinking water.

- More than 100 homes and dozens of businesses are situated atop the spill.

Riverkeeper (an organization helping New Town Creek) focuses on three overarching problems facing Hudson River communities:

• Restoration of the Hudson River ecosystem, with particular emphasis on minimizing fish kills and water pollution;
• Protection of New York City’s drinking water supply; and
• Improving public access to the Hudson River.

HOW TO: (Possibilities)

Chemical dispersants are sprayed by boats, aircraft and workers on the shore. Chemical dispersants pull apart oil particles suspended in water, reducing the oil slick to droplets that can be degraded by naturally occurring bacteria. 

Using booms and skimmers to remove oil from the water's surface. Booms are used to collect oil in concentrated areas, while skimmers separate the crude from the water. 

Sorbent materials are most often used in small spills or to remove the final traces of a large spill. Sorbent materials absorb oil in varying degrees, with some materials swelling more than 50 percent.

Used in nearly every oil spill, the methods of manual or mechanical cleanup are the down-and-dirty techniques employed when oil spills get particularly messy. Manual cleanup consists of placing workers on the coast, armed with shovels, rakes and gloves to collect oil that has run ashore. Mechanical cleanup requires heavy machinery and is used in areas that are plagued by heavy oiled beaches, or areas which are thick in debris.

Natural Recovery. In some areas, the environmental impact of cleaning up a spill could potentially outweigh the benefits of cleaning certain areas, especially if these places are highly dense with vegetation or relatively remote. Wave action, naturally occurring microorganisms, sunlight and natural water dispersion all contribute to break down oil leaked into the ocean. 

A gelling agent is a chemical used to solidify spilled oil, making it easier to collect. Using the motion of the sea, the gelling agent turns the oil into a rubbery substance that can be easily removed from water with nets, suction devices or skimmers.

Oil Eating mushrooms. One form of bioremediation involves the use of fungi to remove pollutants from contaminated areas. This is known as mycoremediation, a term invented by biologist Paul Stamets. His field of study is mycology, the study of mushrooms, which are used during mycoremediation to decontaminate polluted areas. Mushrooms secrete acids and enzymes that aid in the decomposition of complex organic contaminants, making them ideal for use in oil spills.