Newtown Creek
It was pretty cool to see Mayor Adams drink a glass of good-old NYC tap water Monday at a press conference to talk about the Delaware Aqueduct bypass tunnel project. He was in Corona, Queens, with the DEP and of course there was a range of questions about his legal troubles. It was obvious he feels more comfortable participating in press conferences before questions arise. After-all for sports fans, it is said that the best time to get away from off-the-field troubles is when you’re actually playing the game. We are sure it’s difficult to manage the tidal wave of media attention towards the eminent downfall of his administration while keeping a focus on getting things done for the city. But Monday was a pretty successful day for the Mayor – when it comes to water.
New York City enjoys the best drinking water in the free world. Let’s not forget that. From a system that was built in the 1800s and is cleaned by nature and yes, it has been hampered by a leak. A temporary bypass is being constructed, so for the next few months our drinking water will taste a bit different. More will be coming from the Croton watershed, not the Catskill reservoir. There are slightly different minerals in that water supply, so pay attention.
What About the Newtown Creek?
So if we can spend 2 billion dollars on that project, why can’t the DEP figure out how to clean the Newtown Creek? This waterway, the offshoot of the East River, separating Brooklyn and Queens between LIC, Maspeth and Greenpoint, has been a source of the dirtiest water in the city for decades. No, it’s not in our water supply, but it is fed by our combined sewer system and it’s quite an environmental hazard – right in our own backyard. Waste water from our toilets, combines with storm water and drains into the creek. We have been living with this for more than a half century. It’s 2024!
The Newtown Creek Alliance and other groups have been nice about the role the DEP wants to play in the idea of cleaning it and building a system that keeps it clean. They’ve played with aeration, some floats to keep the sewer flow in one area, and systems to keep the underground oil leaks contained in one part of the creek, but are we kidding ourselves? We can’t just pay lip service to this waterway.
