Toxic Chemicals found in floor of Gravesend Bay: Call to Cancel the
Garbage Transfer Station Planned for Site of Old Incinerator
Brooklyn Greens and other Community and Environmental Groups to Join
with Assemblymember William Colton at Press Conference Opposing the
Dredging of Gravesend Bay. (Colton is chair of the NY State
Assembly's Solid Waste Management committee.)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 17
Time: 11 a.m.
Place: Bay Parkway Promenade (end of Bay Parkway, near Caesar's Bay
shopping complex, directly overlooking Gravesend Bay).
Contact: Mitchel Cohen (718) 449-0037 or email: [log in to unmask]
"The Brooklyn Greens opposes the dredging of Gravesend Bay," said
Brooklyn Greens' member Mitchel Cohen. "It will churn up toxic
pollutants from the ash generated by the garbage incinerator that
poisoned our neighborhood for thirty years," Cohen said. "Those toxic
metals and other chemicals have settled on the Bay bottom and are now
covered by mud, rendering them relatively harmless unless disturbed.
However, when the contaminants are exposed by dredging, they will
poison fish. Fish move around; even fish caught miles off shore may
be full of toxins. When we eat these fish, the poisons enter our bodies."
Cohen also expressed indignation that the Department of Sanitation
had not mentioned the increased levels of toxins in the mud, and that
it took an independent investigation by reputable scientists to
discover them. "We suspected they were there all along," Cohen said,
"but for the Department of Sanitation to lie like this in their
Environmental Impact Statement shows the contempt they have for this
community. Their duplicity is grounds for canceling the entire
dredging," Cohen said.
Cohen will speak at the Press Conference called by NY State Assembly
representative William Colton on Sunday, December 17, at 11 a.m. at
the Bay Parkway Promenade (end of Bay Parkway, near Caesar's Bay
shopping complex, directly overlooking Gravesend Bay).
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NY State Assembly Representative Colton's Press Release
Assemblymember William Colton
47th Assembly District - Kings County
155 Kings Highway - Brooklyn, NY 11223
Tel:
718-236-1598
Fax: 718-236-6507
Contact: Mark Treyger 718-866-6090
December 13, 2006
Press Advisory
For Immediate Release
Press Coverage Requested
Assemblyman Colton to hold press conference releasing results of A
study of samples taken from the bottom of Gravesend Bay. Testing was
Done by a scientist from the Department of Cell biology and molecular
medicine, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,
Medical School.
Increased levels of Mercury & Lead Found in the surface sediments of
Gravesend Bay
Colton warns city sanitation and state environmental officials:
Don't stir up toxic bay
Colton's Press Conference
Date: Sunday, December 17, 2006
Time: 11 a.m.
Place: Bay Parkway Promenade (End of Bay Parkway, near Caesar's Bay
shopping complex, directly overlooking Gravesend Bay)
On Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 11 am, at the Bay Parkway promenade,
directly overlooking Gravesend Bay, Assemblyman William Colton
(D-Brooklyn) will release the alarming results of a study he ordered
of samples taken from the bottom of Gravesend Bay, investigating the
presence of elevated amounts of toxic metals and other harmful substances.
After calling for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study
at the bottom of Gravesend Bay, Colton did not wait for the
bureaucracy to act and instead organized a study of the surface
sediments of Gravesend Bay. A scientist from the Department of Cell
Biology and Molecular Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry
of New Jersey, who studies the environmental effects of heavy metals
in aquatic organisms, performed the study after receiving grab
samples of the surface sediments of Gravesend Bay.
"We only scratched the surface, yet the scientist was able to find
increased amounts of mercury and lead at the bottom of Gravesend
Bay," said Colton. "With the city's plan to repeatedly dredge deep in
this vicinity, the consequences of such action can be deadly and
severe," the Brooklyn lawmaker warned.
Colton is referring to the New York City Department of Sanitation's
plan to construct and operate a Marine Transfer Station at the same
location where the former Southwest Brooklyn Incinerator once stood.
The plan was recently approved by the New York City Council and is
now in the hands of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
The plan calls for repeated dredging in Gravesend Bay in order to
make the water deep enough to allow barges to move into and carry
waste out of the site. Colton, along with environmentalists and
community activists, is warning city and state officials that such
repeated dredging will stir up harmful toxins in the bay which can
then spread into adjacent waters such as Coney Island Beach, Lower
New York Bay, and elsewhere. Colton is strongly opposed to the plan
and has mobilized a task force in his district to stop it.
The significance of this surface sample study is linked to the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation's own data that
reveals Gravesend Bay as home to a very diverse population of fish
and wildlife. Ida Sanoff, Vice President of the Natural Resources
Protective Association, has studied this case and warns, "Little
critters such as baby lobsters are plentiful at the bottom of
Gravesend Bay. If they ingest harmful toxins and get eaten by the
fish which we then put on our dinner plates, we have cause for grave concerns."
Along with the surface sample study, Colton's office was also a part
of a bird species evaluation study near the proposed site (near Shore
Parkway and 26th Avenue in Bensonhurst). The bird group was able to
identify dozens upon dozens of bird species including a bird that is
on the federally endangered species list. The bird group stated that
this site is an important migration rest area for many birds.
Colton has initiated a letter-writing campaign to the Commissioner of
the New York State DEC asking community residents to voice their
concerns against the harmful waste station proposal. Through many
community organizations such as Wake up and Smell the Garbage, fliers
are being distributed around the community raising community awareness.
Colton will be flanked by environmental groups, community leaders,
and activists to unveil the study's findings on Sunday morning.
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