Greenpoint Newtown Creek Oil Spill e-Resource

Basil Seggos, of Riverkeeper, said that an extensive study of the soil and groundwater around Hunters Point is the only way to "fully characterize" the aftermath of a decades old oil spill on Newtown Creek. The contamination has migrated underground and at one point, before cleanup efforts began, traveled over a 55 acre area.

"As far as I know, it has gotten into the groundwater in Greenpoint and has gone under the creek, and the basic problem is that the spill has never been fully footprinted," Seggos said.
A routine aerial Coast Guard patrol in 1978 raised the alarm, when a thick petroleum plume on the surface of Newtown Creek was detected. Further investigations revealed that at least 17 million gallons of petroleum polluted the area, seven feet under the creek bed and 40 feet beneath homes in Greenpoint.
The Coast Guard traced the source of the leakage to refineries managed by Exxon Mobil Corp.--formerly Standard Oil--BP/Amoco and Chevron Texaco, which had operated along the banks of the creek for more than a century.
However, studies to determine the extent of the slick have concentrated solely in the Greenpoint area. To date, nearly 9 million gallons have been cleaned up.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials estimate that it will take at least 20 more years to complete remediation efforts, which have been primarily conducted by ExxonMobil under a 1990 agreement.
Although the ultimate cause of the underground seepage is disputed by petroleum companies, Seggos and others--including lawyers for residents who are suing for punitive damages--claim that it was caused when oil from an Exxon refinery leaked into the sewer system around Greenpoint in 1950 and exploded.
That is a claim Brian Dunphy, spokesman for ExxonMobil, disputes. "The products released at the Brooklyn site do not result from one particular event ... but instead are the result of ongoing operations that occurred over the 100 year operating history of this heavily industrialized site," he said.
Dunphy dismissed as "without foundation" the three lawsuits that are currently in the courts.
Riverkeeper filed a federal lawsuit in May 2004 against ExxonMobil to accelerate cleanup efforts. Last November, Council members David Yassky and Eric Gioia joined the suit. Unlike the two other lawsuits pending, Riverkeeper is not suing for punitive damages.
Dunphy also rejected allegations made by lawyers representing claimants that the spill has any known adverse effects on the public's health.
However, Seggos said that tests he performed on the soil in Greenpoint near the site of a former ExxonMobil refinery reveal high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.
Dunphy, however, countered that "vapor studies conducted to date with state oversight have indicated there are no product intrusions." He added that more studies are being planned.
Despite the notoriety that the creek has garnered over the years, it is still a popular fishing and kayaking spot, especially during the summer months, Seggos said.
"There are people who still fish on the creek close to Hunters Point and bring their catch home and eat it," he said. "They don't seem to realize the dangers," he added.
Before the arrival of heavy industry, Newtown Creek was the home to Mespat Indians, who lived along its banks until the 1650s, when the area was purchased by Dutch settlers.
In 1866 Standard Oil, ExxonMobil's predecessor, started refinery operations there and by the turn of the 20th century, over 50 refineries were processing crude oil and other petroleum products. At one time, over 23,000 gallons of crude oil were being processed there on a daily basis.
It is this concentration of refinery operations by corporations in addition to Standard Oil that Dunphy said obscures ultimate responsibility for the pollution.
"The key point we are trying to make here is if there were releases of product over the approximately 100 years of refining and terminal operations in the area (some of which had no connection to ExxonMobil or its predecessors), they occurred during an era in which industry custom, standards, practice and regulatory requirements (if they existed at all) are much different than they are today," he said.