Press Releases
WEINER AND VELAZQUEZ RELEASE FINDINGS OF FIRST EPA STUDY OF NATION’S LARGEST OIL SPILL
NEW STUDY SAYS SIZE OF OIL PLUME LARGER THAN ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED, MANY PUBLIC HEALTH QUESTIONS STILL UNANSWERED
New York City – Today, Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn & Queens) and Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens & Manhattan) released the findings of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study of Newtown Creek, the site of the nation’s largest oil spill. The first EPA study – the most comprehensive assessment of the Newton Creek spill to date – analyzed the recovery process and public health risks related to the spill. The report found the nation’s largest oil spill may be even larger than originally estimated, but left many questions about public health unanswered.
Highlights of the study:
The original estimated size of the spill of 17 million gallons by a 1979 Coast Guard report should be used with caution. The present size of the plume suggests the original volume estimate may have been low. Estimates are as high as 30 million gallons.
Northern border (Newtown Creek) is larger than originally mapped in 1979.
Western border, “is somewhat expanded” from the original mapping
Eastern border: “appears to be moving across the former Paragon property.”
A small thin plume has separated and flows along Meeker Avenue.
Southern border is stable.
Approximately 8.8 million gallons of the spill has been recovered. EPA cautions that this recovery volume may be overestimated.
A re-evaluation of remaining plume volume is warranted across the entire project area.
Only about 70% of the petroleum on the ground water is recoverable because of the urban setting, and because oil gets trapped in the soil--The American Petroleum Institute estimated in 40% to 80% will remain in the soil. While the spill has been well contained, at present, seepage continues into Newtown Creek.
In March 2007 Exxon/Mobile stopped their ground water clean up pumps in response to NYSDEC suit threat and for revoking Exxon discharge permits, shutting down 23 of the 35 recovery wells, or 65%. EPA says the duration of the shut-down is unknown, but if it continues for more than several weeks, the lost of suction will release oil back out into the ground.
Additional geologic investigation in the area of the Exxon/Mobil site appears warranted.
Greatest health risk is possible vapor intrusion into the residential properties. However, all vapor levels in residential areas are within normal ranges.
High levels of methane gas concentrations have been found during vapor intrusion sampling in some commercial establishments.
EPA study found that among 45 sampled residential properties, “chemicals were detected at all locations in each home, but not in a pattern that would typically represent a vapor intrusion phenomenon.” Chemicals in the soil were the same as outdoor air quality.
NYSDEC should continue vapor intrusion investigations at homes along Kingsland Ave, Van Dam Street, Meeker Avenue, and South of the BQE.
NYSDEC should investigate, and collect additional data on the extent of the dissolved plume, for which very little data exists to date. NYSDEC should make readily available a decision matrix/flowchart for the Greenpoint community that clearly explains how data are being evaluated and how risk management decisions are being made regarding public health and safety risks.
NYSDEC should continue to evaluate ground water data to determine if the boundaries of the vapor investigation should be revised. A comprehensive area-wide feasibility study that includes coordination among all responsible parties is needed. EPA recommends that the spill response focus more on remediation of the source of petroleum, rather than controlling or mitigating seeps into the Creek.
EPA recommends a combined effort by all property owners to develop an overall site-wide plume strategy.
· EPA recommends installation of one or more additional recovery wells is recommended along Bridgewater Street, southwest of the Peerless facility, to control what appears to be product gradually moving northeast beneath the Peerless and Steel equities properties.
· EPA recommends additional observation wells to document the Northern portion of the plume hasn’t been well-documented.
· EPA recommends installation of up to 10 proposed new recovery wells to decrease recovery time.
· EPA recommends increased groundwater pumping rates.
· EPA recommends new study of the Exxon Mobile North Henry Street Terminal needed because recovery has been low there.
· EPA recommends additional recovery methods. These methods may include re-injection of recovered ground water, bioslurping or vacuum enhanced recovery, steam or hot water injection, or electrical heating. Detailed feasibility studies would be necessary to determine the most viable method.
The EPA study is a result of legislation authored and championed by Reps. Weiner and Velázquez in the 2006 Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act. The study, the first independent study of the Creek since a 1979 Coast Guard report, was authorized by Congress just months before the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and ExxonMobil found elevated levels of cancer-causing benzene and potentially explosive methane gas near homes in the surrounding community of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a discovery that prompted renewed concern among residents about the spill’s health hazards.
To conduct the study, the EPA reviewed raw data from all prior studies of Newtown Creek going back to the initial discovery of the spill in 1978 and coordinated its activities with relevant state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Attorney General’s Office, and the New York Department of Health.
The 3.5 mile Newtown Creek, a polluted waterway that separates Brooklyn and Queens, is the site of the nation’s largest oil spill. First discovered in 1978, the spill’s size was originally estimated at 17 million gallons, one and a half times larger than Exxon Valdez. Oil has been found across 55 acres, seeping into the Creek and settling under homes and businesses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
To date, an estimated 8.8 millions gallons of oil have been cleaned at Newtown Creek but estimates indicate it will take at least 25 more years to finish the remediation. ExxonMobil, the company primarily responsible for the Greenpoint spill, entered into a consent agreement with New York State in 1990 to clean up the Creek, but progress has been sluggish, as the consent order lacked enforceable deadlines, metrics to measure progress and penalties for non-compliance. Exxon/Mobil in May of 2007 ceased ground water recovery activities, a move that all but abandons the consent order.
“While the oil companies lag in their cleanup responsibilities, the health and safety of Newtown Creek’s residents hang in the balance,” said Rep. Weiner. “Hundreds of homes and businesses are affected by this terrible oil spill. Finally, the public has gotten some answers to its questions about the effects this oil spill is having on our community and local environment, but they deserve more. We will not stop pressing the issue until residents are fully informed of all the health risks and the remediation process has been expedited.”
“I am disappointed that many of our questions, particularly those that relate to health concerns, remain unanswered by the EPA’s study. It is still uncertain as to the affects this contamination is having on the surrounding community, and the full extent of the spill itself,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. “While we received a few answers today, it is clear that we will still need to push to ensure that this oil spill and it is toxic remnants are cleaned up once and for all.”
Under federal law, the study of Newtown Creek was paid for by the big oil companies, who make contributions to the so-called Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for every barrel of oil sold in the United States.
Congressman Anthony D. Weiner
