Oil spill reaching boat club dock
In April of 2014 boat club members began reporting a series of heavy and vibrant sheens (like the one pictured) on Newtown Creek. In each case, the Department of Environmental Conservation Spill Response was quick to act, but each time unable to find the culprit – until August when an anonymous tipster provided the needed break in the case.
The North Brooklyn Boat Club was conceived, in part, with the belief that getting people on the water, would turn them into stewards of those waters. We are immensely gratified to see this already taking place, and even more gratified to see it acknowledged by others:
- From the NY Times coverage: “If no one has any eyes on it, then it’s very easy for this sort of thing to keep happening.”
- From the NY Daily News coverage: “It’s promising to see the community is so watchful of the creek, and so protective, this ‘business as usual’ of illegally dumping oil down the storm drain — we’re putting an end to that,”
- From the Queens Brownstoner, who broke the story, “There’s a bit of good stuff to take away from all this. Will Elkins and the North Brooklyn Boat Club folks spotted an ongoing spill and reported it to the correct authority.”
- And finally from the Department of Environmental Conservation who diligently and persistently followed up on this problem and our reports: “The public in the area has been actively involved in this matter, and credit should go in part to them.”