EPA Proposes Adding Gowanus Canal to Superfund List
The cause of cleaning up the Gowanus Canal got a big boost yesterday when the Environmental Protection Agency proposed adding the 1.8-mile waterway to its Superfund National Priorities List; inclusion on the list would mean a comprehensive investigation of the contamination and the development of a plan to remedy it. The sooner we get the…
The cause of cleaning up the Gowanus Canal got a big boost yesterday when the Environmental Protection Agency proposed adding the 1.8-mile waterway to its Superfund National Priorities List; inclusion on the list would mean a comprehensive investigation of the contamination and the development of a plan to remedy it. The sooner we get the listing underway, the sooner EPA can begin its work, so that one day the Gowanus Canal can be used again to benefit the people of Brooklyn, said Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. To date, sampling of the canal has turned up evidence of a variety of pollutants, including pesticides, metals and volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tar-related contaminations. For the next 60 days, the public is invited to contribute comments here. In addition, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke will be hosting a public forum with the EPA on April 14 at 7 p.m. at PS 32 on Hoyt between Union and President Streets.
Photo by Sail Brooklyn
you mean it’s not already a superfund site?
The contaminants are not so much in the water as in the soil beneath the water and on the banks. I don’t believe there has been industrial activity near the Gowanus for decades, which is good, but the toxic residue of the old effluents are still trapped and will not go away by themselves.
Oh my. If you think that the Gowanus smells bad now, you should have been around in the 1960s. Before the days that everyone had air conditioning, we would use window fans and keep our windows open in summer. After a heavy rain, we would have to shut the windows to keep out the stench which was nauseating to say the least, and I remember it as it were yesterday. As bad as the canal is now, the smell is nowhere near what it used to be. Also, its moniker, Lavendar Lake, really referred to the canal’s aroma, not the hue of the water.
It is amazing how low Brooklyn has ranked with the Federal government. Most of the old coots in Washington probably believe that Brooklyn is an irredeemable slum and urban wasteland. The idea that this contaminated site exists at the very center of one of the most densely populated residential areas in the country is mind-boggling.
Let’s see if Senator Shumer can stay off TV for a few minutes and actually deliver something tangible to his hometown. I want results now that the democrats are in power not more showboating on TV and in the papers.
The Gowanus needs to be cleaned out, the flushing mechanism repaired and the shoreline cleaned and decontaminated. I think we pay enough in taxes to demand at least that.
Rob – Ever seen Toxic Avenger?
I think I remember reading that the water column isn’t all that dirty except after rainstorms, when raw sewage runs into it. But it has very low dissolved oxygen and therefore can’t support much marine life. Did they ever repair the propeller that was supposed to suck relatively clean harbor water into the head of the canal?
The really dirty part is the sediment at the bottom, where all the metals, etc. have settled.
theoretically what would happen if one were to swim in it? there must be crazies out there who do it right?
*rob*
Check out the toxins map on PropertyShark for this neighborhood, and then tell me if you really want to buy a condo here.
I hate trees and baby seals as much as the next reactionary jerk, but I’m actually surprised this wasn’t already a Superfund site. Of course, declaring it such would lead to a 15-year investigation that would determine that the site is, indeed, polluted! Then they might get around to doing something about it.