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A lot of people know about the hideous Greenpoint oil spill, which left three times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez floating around under the neighborhood. The toxic Meeker Plume hasn't been talked about publicly much, although it's been mapped and pushed by neighborhood activists for years. What is it? Uh, "toxic gases" that are rising into homes (and possibly new condos, by the way) that are in the words of the New York Times, "the legacy of dry-cleaning plants, foundries and other manufacturers that once operated in this hub." The contaminants have been discovered "wafting into basements" and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation--which does not have full credibility in certain Greenpoint circles--has been checking homes since 2005. The Newtown Creek Alliance has been compiling information on the toxins ("chlorinated solvents," which is the professional way of saying this shit can kill you) for years. There are about a dozen huge PDFs on the problem on their website. So far, toxins have been found in all the dozen homes tested and 10 of them required "mitigation." Damn. The first time we hear the words Meeker Plume, we thought they were a Williamsburg band.
· A Problem Rises to the Surface in Greenpoint [NYT]
· Know the “Meeker Plume”? It’s Not a Burg Indie Band [GL]
· Meeker Avenue Plume [Newtown Creek Alliance]
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