Long Island Residents Fight Decades-Long Orange Creek Pollution

The Orange Creek Problem

• 💡 Mottz Creek and an adjacent pond on Long Island, once picturesque, have turned into a smelly, orange-colored wasteland.
• ⚠️ Residents report the water used to be crystal clear but now smells like rotten eggs in the summer and is biologically dead, with no frogs or fish.
• 📌 The creek began turning orange in the 1990s, affecting over 60 homes.

Legal Battles and Broken Promises

• ⚖️ Residents sued the town of Brookhaven, blaming the Holtzville landfill upstream for contaminating the creek with iron, manganese, and ammonia.
• 🏛️ A federal judge ruled the town responsible and ordered remediation, with residents even foregoing monetary settlement for a cleanup.
• ⏳ Despite a cleanup order in 2001, residents claim there has been no enforcement, and the cleanup was promised to begin within 18 months.

Renewed Promises and Lingering Frustration

• 🚀 The current town supervisor, Dan Panico, has promised to seal and cap the old landfill site by April, as the Holtzville ecology site closes.
• 😔 Residents express extreme frustration after over 20 years of waiting, stating they will believe the cleanup is happening when they no longer see the orange reminder.
• 🗣️ They emphasize the need for accountability, noting that individuals would face consequences for similar actions, unlike the town.