A Superfund cleanup of toxic Newtown Creek is expected to get a $16 million cash infusion after the federal government on Tuesday reached a settlement with a bankrupt oil company that admittedly was a key contributor to polluting the waterway.
Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. and Getty Terminals Corp. — which were among the dozens of companies that spent decades illegally dumping up to 30 million gallons of oil and petroleum products on the Brooklyn and Queens sides of the creek — had filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Under the settlement deal, Getty agreed to let the feds receive $16 million through the bankruptcy process.
Most of the creek’s pollution, however, dates back to a 1950 Mobil oil spill that wasn’t uncovered until 1978. Over the decades, millions gallons of oil has seeped into the creek — wiping out wildlife and spurring serious health concerns among residents.