By Jack Delaney

Little detail given to environmental committee members – worries Newtown Creek advocates

At a meeting last week, community leaders raised a flurry of questions about the EPA’s proposal for cleaning up the East Branch of Newtown Creek. Members of the Community Board No. 1 Environmental Protection Committee met at Swinging Sixties Senior Center in North Williamsburg on September 30 to draft a comment to submit to the EPA as part of the plan’s public review period, which was recently extended. While the committee was enthusiastic that work might begin as soon as next year, those present voiced two main concerns: frustration over a lack of details around technical aspects of the proposal, and a desire for more community input going forward.

Efforts to clean the 3.8-mile Newtown Creek are relatively recent, given its long history of pollution. It was a hotspot for heavy industry during the 19th century, housing over 50 factories and processing plants along its banks. In 1856, the city began dumping raw sewage into the estuary, and contamination worsened as commercial boat traffic steadily increased, reaching a fever pitch with World War II.

Prefer Action Over Waiting

The waterway was named a Superfund site in 2010, and plans for remediation began in 2011. The Record of Decision, which is the final stage before full-scale work on the creek can

proceed, was originally due to be completed by 2023, but was later pushed to 2028. The proposal up for debate on Monday was an early action plan for the East Branch, one of Newtown Creek’s five tributaries. While limited in scope, members of the Environmental Protection Committee praised the concept of beginning now, rather than waiting for a plan encompassing the entire creek. “That part is kind of exciting,” said board member Katie D. Horowitz. “That there could actually be something started in 6 months to clean up.” Board chair Stephen Chesler agreed. “This could act as a study for treating the rest of the creek. That’s one of the key things here.”

The East Branch proposal outlines several possible approaches, ranging from no action to a $500 million, 7-year plan to dredge the entire tributary. The EPA’s preferred alternative is a compromise of dredging deep enough to place a cap over the sediment, a $250 million, 3-year improvement. But at Swinging Sixties, the consensus was that the EPA’s presentation of this option at a public meeting on September 18 had left much to be desired. “You walked out of the meeting, and you don’t really know what’s going to happen,” said committee member Christine Holowacz.

This Description Is A Red Flag

In drafting the public comment, the EPC Committee honed in on several specifications they believed had been omitted. “By now, [the EPA] should be able to at least discuss the composition of the cap,” member Laura Hofmann remarked. For his part, Chesler wanted to know more about why the proposed bulkheads were only temporary. “This description is a red flag for me,” he said, pointing to a bullet point on the projector screen. “I asked this at the [September 18] meeting — what’s the permanent solution, then?”

Yet another debate erupted over the plan’s decision to add six inches of biota, a layer of living organisms reintroduced after dredging, rather than the state standard of two feet. Zooming out, Horowitz called for a clearer sense of how the EPA will monitor results after implementation.

Boats on creek?

The three members also on the Newtown Creek Community Advisory Group (CAG) — Chesler, Holowacz, and Hofmann —were just as focused on the issue of navigability. If the East Branch were designated for commercial use by boats, the plan would need deeper dredging, and discussions about replacing nearby structures such as the aging Grand St. Bridge would have to accommodate this status. Chesler worried about what he saw as a disconnect between governmental agencies involved in the cleanup. The Army Corps of Engineers released a report in January 2024 designating the East Branch as non-navigable, he noted, but the city was continuing with discussions of a movable bridge, under the assumption that it would be navigable. Was the EPA taking this into account? “We should wait for the bridge design,” he said, “because that would change the game.” “If you have to dredge navigable water,” seconded Hofmann, “forget it.” 

Amidst all the minutiae, the main point everyone on the committee agreed upon was that active dialogue with the public should continue. “We just need to make sure that this is a robust plan that will give us what we need,” said Holowacz.

The EPA will accept written comments on the Proposed Plan during the public comment period, which now ends on October 28. Written comments should be addressed to Caroline Kwan,

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor New York, NY 10007.

 By James Sienkievic

On Thursday, Oct. 3, the Institute for Community Living (ICL) hosted a Children and Family Resource Fair at the East New York Health HUB. Tucked away in a room off the courtyard in the back of the sprawling three-story community HUB building, the event was an exciting opportunity to introduce the ICL and its partners—including the Food Bank for New York City, the Community Healthcare Network, VNS Health, HealthFirst, and Black Veterans for Social Justice—to families in the area and provide support on a range of issues. Booths lined the walls while games and balloons were arranged around the room, and children played Connect Four on small tables on the floor.

After serving for 15 years …. struggled for years to get proper help from the VA

The fair was an opportunity for the ICL to introduce itself to a wider segment of the community and showcase its wide range of resources to the East New York community, including activities for kids, expert advice on parenting, mental health, substance use disorders, as well as opportunities to win exciting prizes and giveaways.

Natalie Primus, a former Air Force and Marine Corps service member, attended the event that morning after being invited by an ICL veterans outreach member. After serving for 15 years and being medically retired due to an injury, she had struggled for years to get proper help from the VA. She was there that morning hoping to hear about different resources available to her and her child that she may not have known about.

“Sometimes you need to hear about all the other programs that are available to you. Sometimes when one person doesn’t have it, another person may be able to provide that information. So that’s one of the things I hope to get from today.”

Built in 2018, the East New York Health HUB is part of ICL’s approach to what they call a whole health approach to wellness. The site provides comprehensive, integrated services to address a full range of primary health and behavioral health needs, as well as children and family, employment, housing, mental health, and veteran services. Across the three floors, various departments specialize in addressing the specific needs of the community.

Toni Kimpson, a social worker with the ICL, says that some of the most pressing issues lately have been housing and helping people deal with stigma regarding mental health and substance abuse.

The HUB has helped her get through some of the roughest times of her life

“We’re just trying to really educate the community about what mental illness is, what it can look like. It touches all of us, and we need to support each other with where we can go for help and make sure people know where those resources are.”

Martha Salgado shared how the HUB has helped her get through some of the roughest times of her life. The daughter of Chilean immigrants, she had worked steadily in the banking industry for over 25 years before she suddenly lost everything. The ICL became her lifeline and helped her get her life back on track. As a foster mother of three who has cared for more than 20 children, Martha has found the support provided to her by the HUB invaluable. They assisted her with Medicaid, helped resolve human resources issues, and provided essential food bank access. “Their food bank is amazing,” she said.

The Children and Family Resource Fair highlighted the vital role that organizations like the Institute for Community Living (ICL) play across New York City and the nation. As the nation continues to grapple with mental health and substance abuse issues, stories like Natalie’s and Martha’s shine a spotlight on the hard work and dedication of ICL staff in supporting their communities. Resources are plentiful for those in need, and organizations like the ICL assist individuals in accessing them every day.

By Eloise Goldsmith

Mayor Eric Adams and other New York City officials celebrated the launch of the Delaware Aqueduct bypass tunnel, the final phase of a $2 billion project to repair the city’s water supply system at a Sept. 30 press conference in Corona, but the event was overshadowed by a federal indictment against Adams that was unveiled last week.

After Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala fielded questions about the restoration project, Adams reiterated that he intends to stay on as Mayor despite his legal troubles. Charges detailed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in the indictment include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy.

When asked about whether he’s spoken with New York Governor Kathy Hochul about her ability to remove him from office, Adams said he has spoken with her “several times” but that the conversations were private.

“I never go into private conversations, that’s why people enjoy having conversations with me,” he said. When asked whether Hochul has told him she’s going to ask for his resignation he said no.

The state’s constitutions and powers she has through the New York City Charter give Hochul the ability to remove the mayor. Hochul, a political ally of Adams, has intimated that New Yorkers’ confidence in the mayor is on shaky ground.

Earlier in the press conference, Adams called this phase of the project a “great achievement we should all be proud of.” In the 1990s, the city discovered leaks below the Hudson River that were impacting the Delaware Aqueduct, which supplies roughly half of New York’s running water.

In 2010, the city announced a project to construct a bypass that would allow for repairs. During the repairs, part of the Delaware Aqueduct will shut down and water will be re-routed through the Delaware Aqueduct bypass, a 2.5-mile long tunnel. Repairs are expected to take place over eight months.

“We have the best water in the country,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. Our system was built in the 1800s. The water is cleaned by gravity and nature, and it allows New Yorkers to enjoy a billion gallons of water every day. Its only flaw is that it has a small leak,” she added.

While the bypass is in use, the city will draw less water from Catskill-Delaware watershed and another watershed, the Croton, will cover the shortfall.

Aggarwala said that the city has planned for “every scenario” in the event that something goes wrong. “Worse comes to worst,” city officials have the ability to reconnect to the existing aqueduct without too much trouble though it would cost time and money to do so.

Aggarwala also gave a shout out to Paul Rush, DEP’s Deputy Commissioner for Water Supply, who he called New York City’s “chief mixologist”  because his job is to “determine which reservoirs we’re going to draw from and create a blend of that water that maximizes taste and safety and reliability.”

New Yorkers may notice that their water over the next few months tastes slightly different, said Aggarwala, who said the variations are due to harmless mineral differences between the water drawn from different reservoirs.

Adams drank a glass of “sample” tap water during the press conference and said he couldn’t taste the difference. “You’re not going to be able to detect it,” he said.