The Gowanus Canal Cleanup: A Community Town Hall

The Gowanus Canal is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States — but did you know that there is work being done to clean it up?

In 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan to remove polluted material from the Canal and address other sources of pollution along its banks, including three former manufactured-gas plant sites, along with upgrades to the city’s sewer system. The cleanup work, which began in November 2020, is expected to cost more than $1.5 billion dollars.

On June 30, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) invites members of the greater Gowanus community to attend a Town Hall meeting and learn more about the cleanup of the Canal under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Program.

Representatives from the EPA’s cleanup team and the CAG will be there to talk about:

• Why the canal got so polluted in the first place
• What the cleanup will change about the Canal
• What’s happening today, with clean up activities currently underway
• What the canal might look like when the cleanup is complete
• How the community can get involved in the cleanup
• And more!

The focus of the Town Hall will be on answering your questions. Please RSVP for the event, and share your questions in advance at gowanuscag@gmail.com.