Newtown Creek site is a tidally influenced estuarine creek on the western-most edge of Long Island that partially delineates the border between Queens and Brooklyn, New York. Newtown Creek and its five tributaries represent one of the largest shallow-water estuarine systems potentially suitable for fish reproduction and nursery in the greater New York City area. In 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the site on the National Priorities List due to the presence of hazardous chemicals in the creek sediments including, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The remediation process is ongoing, including issuance of Records of Decision concerning combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges in April 2020, and the East Branch of Newtown Creek in January 2025.

The natural resource Trustees for the site are US Department of Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and New York State (Department of Environmental Conservation). The Trustees initiated a natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 2013. The Preassessment Screen and Determination (PAS) and Notice of Intent to Conduct an Assessment (NOI) are available on this website. The Trustees identified surface water, sediment, groundwater, interjurisdictional fishes, migratory birds, and habitats supporting natural resources, as potentially having been injured by exposure to the unpermitted releases of oil and hazardous substances into Newtown Creek. There may also be the loss of recreational uses as a result of the contamination, including the on-going fish consumption advisories due to hazardous chemicals. Continuing to follow the CERCLA NRDAR regulations, in March 2024, the Trustees made available for public comment a draft Assessment Plan (available on this website). Nearly 400 comments were received during the 90 day public comment period. In September 2025 the Trustees made the Final Assessment Plan available to the public. A main purpose of the assessment plan is to evaluate “whether the approach used for assessing the damage is likely to be cost-effective and meets the definition of reasonable cost”. 43 CFR § 11.31.

The Trustees are continuing to coordinate with the EPA and the response actions at the site while the NRDAR is ongoing. Future updates on the NRDAR will be made available on this website.