Newtown Creek, one of America’s most-polluted waterways that also flows through parts of East Williamsburg, has got four new trash-catchers, the city announced Tuesday.
Two of the four $42 million underground filters are located in East Williamsburg at Troutman Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue and at 455 Johnson Ave. The devices will snag floating litter, directing it away from Newtown Creek and toward a wastewater treatment plant where it can be properly collected and taken to nearby landfills, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
“The residents of East Williamsburg and Greenpoint have experienced decades of environmental neglect, making this a much-welcomed solution to an endemic problem,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in a statement.
“Protecting the environmental integrity of Newtown Creek is critical to ensuring Brooklyn’s waterways and ecosystem are beautified for future generations to come.”
The project was started in late 2015 to stop trash from reaching Newtown Creek and its tributaries, which form part of the border between North Brooklyn and Queens.
In an effort to engage the “head of Creek” communities of Bushwick/East Williamsburg, Ridgewood, and Maspeth, the Newtown Creek Alliance is hosting a series of socially-focused meetings to discuss the latest events concerning the superfund waterway.
The next meeting takes place next Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 6-8 p.m. in Windjammer Bar at 552 Grandview Ave. in Ridgewood.
Photos courtesy of the Department of Environmental Protection