Attendees, CAG Members: Joan Salome-Rodriguez (Moderator), Eymund Diegel, Erica Eliason, Mark Yarish.
Guests: Irene Baker, National Grid.
You can view a video recording of the meeting here. Please enter code Gm#b!CD8 when prompted for access.
1) Real-time canal monitoring/public reporting DEP – There was not much to say about this one since the Riverkeeper case is on appeal.
2) Bond-Lorraine Sewer – Long discussion about this as it was the most concerning issue. DEP’s plan is to re-sewer all of Carroll Gardens/Gowanus, from Court Street to the Canal, and from Douglass Street to 4th Street at Public Place. It will eliminate the old brick Bond-Lorraine sewer, including the section under Public Place, and that work will be DEP work, not developer work. Appears DEP will run the sewage uphill from Smith Street to the canal northwards to the Pumping Station, while they run the storm water from that area south where it will be dumped into the canal at Public Place. The UPHILL part of the plan is a physics challenge as the flushing tunnel outflow is a 24” bore. How will that be able to take all of Carroll Gardens’ CSO? Eymund & Joan prepared an inquiry and sent it on to Alicia West at DEP and Aaron Kaufman at the Gowanus Remediation Trust.
3) CSO’s/Long Term Control Plan – DEP Alicia West, EPA Victoria Sacks – We got an answer from DEP regarding its LTCP. See below for full answer, but importantly there is no LTCP for the CSO tank results and re-dredging would only happen if EPA orders it. EPA is requiring the City to perform sampling to monitor sediment quality we believe starting in March 2027. In a letter dated March 30, 2026, EPA notified the City of the completion of capping in RTA1. We have asked for this letter, when sampling will start and how often. We as a CAG will have to make decisions around how much sedimentation we want to allow.
4) NAPL leaks and remediation at the head of the Canal – Work is in progress.
5) Hydrology – Aaron responded (see below) that DEC hopes to have the survey complete by 1st Quarter 2027. Current hydraulic conditions, including groundwater elevations and flow direction. DEC study. We know they are not including toxins in the study. We’d like DEC to overlay Jason’s map with the info from DEC’s survey (or vice versa).