Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Greenpoint Oil Spill Cleanup: 1/3 Done or Just Begun?
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Mar 22, 2010
Modified Mar 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Mar 22, 2010
Modified Mar 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
State officials say oil spill cleanup efforts under Greenpoint are seriously picking up speed. “In terms of oil recovery, we’re more than a third of the way there,” state Department of Environmental Conservation project manager Ed Hampston told the Brooklyn Paper. With the help of new sludge-sucking pumps (and at the urging of subway artists), workers removed 880,000 gallons of oil last year, more than twice as much as in 2008. Since 2000, the year the cleanup began, 10.8 million gallons of petroleum product have been extracted.
Problem is, no one really knows how much oil is left under the 120 acre swath in Greenpoint. In 1979 the size of the spill, one of the worst in U.S. history, was thought to be 17 million gallons, but the estimate has since ballooned to 30 million gallons. Riverkeeper’s Philip Musegaas questions Hampston's optimistic assertion. “If we don’t know how much oil is there, it is difficult to tell how long it will take to remove all of it.” Hampston wouldn't venture how much longer the cleanup will take, but the EPA estimates 10-25 years.
Tagged
brooklyn
cleanup
epa
exxonmobil
greenpoint
greepoint oil spil
newtown creek
oil
oil spill
petroleum
sludge
Sabrina Jaszi
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .