Status Cuo Or Even Mo Oil In The Creek?

Exxon Mobil is halting its cleanup operation at Newtown Creek because of the lawsuit recently filed to force the company to clean up the site:

Unhappy about the pace of Exxon Mobil’s cleanup of the oil spill under Greenpoint that is seeping into Newtown Creek? Brace yourself because its about to get a lot slower before it speeds up.

Exxon announced late last week that they would be shutting down a key component of their pumping system in response to two lawsuits filed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Riverkeeper, an environmental group that has been trying to expedite a cleanup for years.

The oil giant will be shutting down a system that draws the oil to wells where it can be siphoned out of the ground by first pumping out ground water and making a depression for the oil to flow into. The ground water is discharged into Newtown Creek via a pipe at the end of Meeker Avenue, water that both lawsuits claim is contaminated and in possible violation of the Clean Water Act.

Shutting down the process means that the ground water won’t be dumped into the creek, but it also means that the oil will be pulled from the ground at a much slower pace. In published reports last week, an Exxon spokesperson said that the shut down was temporary and suspended only until proper permits are obtained.

According to Basil Seggos of Riverkeeper, however, the system also keeps oil mixed with groundwater from seeping into the creek through the bulkheads.

“There is the alarming possibility that the water will be full of even more pollutants,” warned Seggos.

Seggos added that Exxon has claimed that it is necessary to pump out the groundwater, otherwise it will be virtually impossible to pump out any oil.

“Without pumping the ground water, they many not get out any oil,” said Seggos.