Another Brooklyn waterway up for Superfund status

As the Environmental Protection Agency finalizes its Gowanus Canal Superfund decision, another polluted Brooklyn waterway could be made eligible for a federal cleanup. Newton Creek, a 3.8-mile rivulet in northern Brooklyn, near Greenpoint, has accumulated a tremendous amount of pollution due to its position near industrial neighborhoods, according to the EPA. While federal officials debated a possible Superfund designation for Newton Creek in April, EPA officials said that the fetid waterway is in dire need of immediate action. “By listing the creek, EPA can focus on doing the extensive sampling needed to figure out the best way to address the contamination and see the work through,” George Pavlou, the EPA’s acting regional administrator, said.