OR&R and Community Groups Re-Imagine the Newtown Creek Superfund Site
MAY 25, 2018 — On May 22, OR&R staff joined co-trustees and representatives from the Newtown Creek Alliance, Riverkeeper, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to tour some of the community's preferred potential restoration options along Newtown Creek — a heavily contaminated waterway that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York.
The trustees are conducting a natural resource damage assessment at the site. The creek and its tributaries provide habitat for many species of fish, aquatic wildlife, waterfowl, and other water-dependent animals. The shallow sheltered waters of Maspeth Creek, one of five tributaries, are among the community's priorities for potential ecological restoration.
If properly remediated, salt marsh restoration and other habitat improvements within Maspeth Creek, envisioned by the community, could enhance benefits to fish and wildlife while improving storm surge protection for areas at risk from coastal flooding. Early integration of restoration planning into the remedial process improves the possibility of on-site natural resource restoration aligned with the community's vision.
For further information, contact Reyhan.Mehran@noaa.gov.