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Dear New Yorkers,

New York City is home to four Superfund sites — federally designated areas known to be toxic to human and environmental health, with cleanups spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

But climate change is complicating those cleanups, and raising the stakes for New Yorkers who live nearby.

In a dense, urban city like ours, lots of people already live or work in close proximity to Superfund sites. And with flooding expected to rise with climate change, the hazardous substances in those Superfund sites are poised to spread to even more people.

In the words of one scientist: “We cannot accept that there are regions of our city that are so contaminated that we would say, ‘I wouldn't want to touch it.’ Because guess what? It comes for you.”

A recent series, Hazard NYC, has documented the stories of each of NYC’s Superfund sites:

Newtown Creek, which snakes for almost four miles between western Queens and northern Brooklyn. It’s one of the country’s most polluted waterways. But more than a decade after the feds stepped in, it lacks a cleanup plan.  Meeker Avenue Plume, where chemicals lurk beneath Greenpoint and East Williamsburg and threaten locals with toxic vapors — which may already be entering homes and workplaces. The Wolff-Alport Chemical Company, a small patch of land in Ridgewood, Queens that supplied material to develop nuclear weapons after World War II. The radiological contamination from that time is still there. The Gowanus Canal, which is located in the middle of a flood-prone neighborhood undergoing a major housing development boom — underscoring the need for a multiagency clean-up.

Explore the past, present and future of these sites by scrolling through immersive digital stories and by listening to Hazard NYC, a four-part limited series from our podcast, FAQ NYC.

Hey, Scoop readers: Join us for a discussion about NYC’s Superfund sites, and how climate change is complicating the cleanup process. The event will be hosted by THE CITY’s climate change reporter, Samantha Maldonado, and independent journalist Jordan Gass-Pooré. Free with RSVP at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Hazard NYC is sponsored, in part, by Brooklyn SolarWorks.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 4/10. Another day with lots of sunshine! A cool wind keeps us in check though, with high temperatures only reaching the upper 30s. Grab that winter jacket again, the vibes remain chilly today!

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Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Tuesday, Feb. 20: A three-day Science & Black History Workshop Series that explores medicine, engineering, zoology and more for kids aged 6-12. Free from 12 to 2 p.m. at Idlewild Park in Queens. Tuesday, Feb. 20: The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion, an ongoing show that celebrates colorful blooms and fashion. Free with admission at the New York Botanical Garden through April 21. Saturday, Feb. 24: Introduction to Birdwatching Outings, a birding walk hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Bird Club. Free from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., starting at the Prospect Park Audubon Center.

THE KICKER: The Brooklyn Museum, in celebration of its 200th anniversary, has put out a call to artists for those who have lived or worked in the borough in the past five years for a major group show.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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