The NYC Department of Environmental Protection took over a piece of land just west of the Grand Avenue Bridge along the Newtown Creek. They proposed to put a 17-million dollar aeration system off the site into the creek in order to add oxygen to the creek. The purpose is similar to putting an air tube in a fish tank, where adding oxygen is good for the marine life.
In order to comply with federal and state water quality standards, the City was mandated to increase the oxygen content in Newtown Creek. But local environmental groups are concerned that the aeration will only take the waste sludge which is in the creek and put bacterial strains in the air surrounding the spot. This, according to their studies, will create health problems for residents of Maspeth and people who live and work near the creek.
The ‘Combined Sewer Outlets’ which are located in the Newtown Creek take raw sewage from neighborhoods like Maspeth and Ridgewood and just dump it into the creek. The contention of the group essentially states that some attention must be given to figuring out our to mitigate the raw sewage system coming into the creek.
Since DEP’s proposal was made, a study performed by the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory concluded that the current aeration remediation of other parts of Newtown Creek have resulted in increased aerosol production from surface waters. Bacterial aerosols included sewage-associated bacteria indicating a connection between water surface contamination and air quality. The study further concluded that this increased aerosolization of bacteria from the water had the potential for unintended and unexplored health impacts on surrounding urban populations.
To read the report click on the link below.
http://newtowncreekcag.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/attachment-a-riverkeeper-ltr-nycdep-newtown-aeration-1_10_14.pdf?utm_source=Copy+of+January+2014+MIBA+Newsletter+&utm_campaign=MIBA+Jan+2014&utm_medium=email
