Attendees: Joan Salome-Rodriguez, Richard Lawrence, Susan Yung, Katia Kelly, Erica Eliason, Aaron Kaufman, Terri Thomson, Linda LaViolette.
Guests: Corinne Brenner, Theo Hirsch, Sam Asher
Agenda was as follows:
1) Filling out the form to be submitted to the DEC with the reclassification petition.
2) At the Committee’s previous meeting, Marlene Donnelly suggested we once again request a hydrology study. As it turns out, in June 2024 New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported that it “is completing a broader groundwater assessment of the Gowanus Area to better understand how the implementation of the DEC remedies and the Gowanus Canal remedy are impacting the overall groundwater conditions.” In fact, Aaron Fischer confirmed this to Joan Salome-Rodriguez at the DEC open house at PS 372 last month. So, the Committee will be discussing and possibly drafting a letter to DEC to get more details about the status of this study, whether and when it will be made public, and what use DEC intends to make of it.
Summary:
1) DEC says we need not do the form but we are putting it in anyway and all agreed that when DEC sends us its Survey 123 form we will test it out for them. As it is identical to the form submitted with the last resolution on Water Quality Standards from 2019 (submitted in Feb 2020), Erica will copy the old to the new and submit the form along with our petition, which we already submitted about a week ago.
2) As for the hydrology study, in light of the DEC announcement and Aaron Fischer’s statement, we decided to craft an email to Aaron to ask for clarification of what the scope and nature of the study is. The email is being reviewed by Hildegaard and Eymund to see if there is more or less that we should be asking. Once they complete their review by next week, Joan will send it to Aaron. So far the text is as follows:
Hi, Aaron:
In June 2024 New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported that it “is completing a broader groundwater assessment of the Gowanus Area to better understand how the implementation of the DEC remedies and the Gowanus Canal remedy are impacting the overall groundwater conditions.”
If true, this is great, but long overdue. Such an assessment should help answer (though it may not relieve) many concerns.
Aaron, at the Open House at PS 372 last month, you mentioned to me that a hydrology study was being conducted by DEC. Is the above announcement about a “groundwater” study the “hydrology study” to which you referred?
If so:
– When was the study commenced?
– What is the geographic scope?
– How many monitoring wells are there?
– Where are they?
– How long will you be testing?
– What exactly is being measured?
– Is the water being tested for chemicals or just levels?
– Do you have a baseline study on which to compare changes in groundwater levels since the rezone?
– Do you have a baseline study for where the underground streams were so you can tell whether they have moved?
– If the groundwater is being tested for VOC’s, what chemicals are being tested?
– Is this a plume study? Was a plume study ever done to which to compare this study, if it is one?
– Is DEC doing the testing or is a contractor doing the work? Who is the contractor? Is a lab involved?
3) Katia asked Aaron Kaufman about the double bulkheads observed on the turning basin(?) at Whole Foods and about the holes in the bulkhead at the Third Avenue overpass. She will follow with an email to Aaron so he can respond.
– Aaron will get back to us after checking with his team on the canal.
– Katia will email Brian about the loss of square footage (is that what you call it when it is water?) because of the double bulkheads and whether it will be made up at the 1st Street basin.