Minutes of the April 7, 2025 Gowanus Canal CAG Water Quality & Technical Committee Meeting

Attendees

Joan Salome-Rodriguez (Facilitator), Erica Eliason, Katia Kelly, Louis Kleinman, Margaret Maugenest, Susan Yung, Aaron Kaufman (Gowanus Remediation Team)

1:  Joan reported that US Geological Survey is doing a survey on behalf of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection – Michael Como responded. The USGS is looking at Gowanus but, disappointingly, is still only looking at the Federal Monitoring Well on Sterling Place and 6th Avenue. We need them to come down to at least Nevins between Sackett and Union there may be City water caps there). Joan will continue to follow up.  

2:  Erica will email the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation about its water quality rules. Nothing yet.

3.  We need to keep checking for a Notice of Proposed Rule Making with the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS), by March 31, 2025. It is DEC’s goal to file a Notice of Adoption with the NYSDOS by September 30, 2025. This rulemaking(s) may require a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for Small Businesses and Local Governments. Both Erica and I checked the website and did not see anything that appeared to be relevant to this. We will follow.  

4.  Follow ups for our many questions about the Whole Foods site:

Victoria Sacks (EPA Remedial Project Manager) emailed answers to our follow-up questions.  Only those for which we have yet to get full answers are listed here with our new questions.  Question 1 ultimately required we follow up with DEC.

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Join us at the Hall of Gowanus!

From April 17 through May 11, the Hall of Gowanus is returning to our neighborhood! A community-curated archive of art, artifacts and documents related to the history and environment of the Gowanus Canal, the Hall of Gowanus archive was conceived and community-curated from 2005 – 2015 at Proteus Gowanus, an interdisciplinary gallery at 543 Union Street.

Artifacts were donated by community members, often found during their walks or canoe trips along the canal. Since then the collection has been exhibited throughout the neighborhood, including: Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s Lowlands Nursery and office; the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club boathouse and 19th St Dock; the Gowanus Souvenir Shop; and on this storymap.

As the Superfund clean-up has progressed, the Archaeology Committee of the Gowanus Community Advisory Group has worked with the Gowanus Remediation Trust to add additional artifacts found in the Canal to the collection. Currently stewarded by Arts Gowanus, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club and other stakeholders, the Hall of Gowanus is a vital historical, ecological, educational and artistic resource. It is our hope that the archive finds a permanent home in the neighborhood.

For now, you can join us at 240 3rd Ave. (Gowanus Wharf) on Saturdays and Sundays, from 1-6pm, until May 11, for open hours at the gallery and a variety of readings, talks, and events. There will be hands-on activities for visitors of all ages and a library of Gowanus-related reading materials to enjoy, as well. Check back for updates to the evolving schedule below!

Schedule of Events:

Additional historical talks and readings are in the works! Stay tuned.

Next Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group General Meeting: Tuesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.

Please join us for our April 2025 General Meeting, on Tuesday, April 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., which will be held in person at the Gowanus Wharf, 240 3rd Avenue in Gowanus, and also streamed via Zoom video conference.

Gowanus Wharf
240 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

You can also join the meeting via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82072515913
Dial In Number: 646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 820 7251 5913

DRAFT AGENDA (all times are approximate)

6:30 – 6:45 p.m.: Welcome and CAG Member Introductions

6:45 – 8:00 p.m.: EPA Updates

  • Walk through Remedial Target Area 2 (RTA2) 100% Design
  • Update on the 1st Street Turning Basin
  • Other EPA Updates
  • CAG Q&A
  • Public Comment/Questions (as time allows)

8:00 – 8:30 p.m.: CAG Business and Committee Updates

  • Facilitation Committee (path forward on Charter Update)
  • Archaeology and Historic Preservation Committee
  • Land Use Committee
  • Outreach Committee
  • Water Quality/Technical Committee
  • Administrative Committee

8:30 p.m.: Adjourn

Guests are always welcome to comment and ask questions using the chat function.

All Gowanus CAG meetings are open to the public, unless specifically noted otherwise.

The next Gowanus Canal CAG general meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2025, via Zoom.

March 25, 2025 Update from EPA Region 2 on the Status of Work In and Around the Gowanus Canal

The Environmental Protection Agency provided the following update on the status of the Superfund cleanup of the Gowanus Canal at our March 25 general meeting.

Red Hook (RH-034) Tank

As of today, excavation is 100% complete, pending final elevation surveying. This is a major milestone for the project. Furthermore, it was completed almost six months ahead of the originally anticipated 10-month schedule and over one month ahead of the accelerated schedule we presented during our December 2024 meeting.

Following completion of the soil excavation, there are several activities that will need to take place, including, most importantly, waterproofing of the tank walls. Once these activities are completed, tank construction will begin, likely in May or June 2025. In order to keep the excavation area dry, groundwater will continue to be pumped to and treated in the on-site water treatment plant until the bottom slab of the tank is poured. This should be complete by October or November 2025.

Owl’s Head (OH-007) Tank

Moving on to the Owl’s Head tank, work is continuing on the construction of the perimeter wall. As of today, 40 panels have been completed out of a total of 138 planned for the entire perimeter wall. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s contractor is averaging completion of four to five panels per week, and we expect this phase of the project to wrap up sometime around September or October of this year. Similar to the Red Hook tank, full-scale excavation will follow. 

Bulkheads

Bulkheads installation along Remedial Target Area 2 (mid-canal) is currently in progress.

Carroll Street Bridge

  • The Carroll Street Bridge design has been finalized and approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
  • Construction is scheduled to start in April 2025 and expected to take approximately nine months to complete.
  • The contractor has begun the preparatory work for the repairs and precast panels are being fabricated offsite. 
  • Reopening of the bridge is estimated to be possible in early 2026.

Turning Basin 1

As mentioned in previous CAG meetings, the Trust and EPA have been re-evaluating the design for the restoration of the former First Street Turning Basin. We are looking to deliver an end product to the community that better integrates with community interests while still meeting the needs of the cleanup.

EPA and the Trust are now moving forward with a design concept that better aligns with the Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan while maintaining equal protection to human health and the environment through an excavation and containment approach. Features of the new design concept include:

  • Uninterrupted canal access via shoreline walkway
  • Kayak launch access point
  • Communal/educational space
  • Diverse ecological habitat including larger wetland footprint
  • Integrated landscape with surrounding properties

The Trust is currently performing geotechnical surveying in Turning Basin 1 as part of the redesign.

Minutes of the March 17, 2025 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal CAG’s Administrative Committee

Attendees

Katia Kelly
Joan Salome-Rodriguez
Louis Kleinman

The CAG’s Administrative Committee met on March 17 to review the CAG membership application of Oscar Fock.

The Committee unanimously voted to move the application on to the general membership for an interview and vote at the next CAG general meeting. The Committee recommends Oscar Fock’s application for the following reasons:

  • His application is complete.
  • Though he does not live in the immediate area, he works within the Gowanus Superfund community.
  • As a reporter, he may have a unique opportunity to reach out to a wider segment of the community to inform on CAG matters.

Minutes prepared by Katia Kelly.

Minutes of the March 3, 2025 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal CAG Water Quality & Technical Committee

Attendees

Joan Salome-Rodriguez (Facilitator), Marlene Donnelly, Erica Eliason, Katia Kelly, Louis Kleinman, Margaret Maugenest, Susan Yung
Guests: Aaron Kaufman (Trust), Corinne Brenner, Li Chin-Drachman, Pratt SES – Sher Gallo Netto, Christopher Hauserman, Dhruvin Thakkar

1: Li reported and showed a Powerpoint she prepared. She is doing work on a community-led initiative for cleaner waterways and wishes to explore potential collaboration opportunities regarding a campaign to address sewage overflow and water pollution in the Gowanus Canal. She is seeking insights on how to deal with sewage overflow from New York City’s combined sewer system leading to increased water pollution, impacting both the environment and residents—particularly those in basement and first-floor apartments prone to sewage backflow. Her campaign focuses on a community-based solution: integrating rain barrels into schools, gardens, and homes to reduce the amount of rainwater entering the sewage system. This initiative would not only help mitigate overflow but also repurpose collected rainwater for gardening and cleaning, reducing unnecessary clean water use. If successful, she plans to advocate for policies that prevent real estate development in high-risk flood zones, which disproportionately impact lower-income residents.

Marlene indicated that the 8,000 new units will cause more issues and that the CSO tanks being built really do little for the Gowanus area since what they catch is runoff from Atlantic Yards and Park Slope.  The Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) had given rain barrels out at one point. Katia called rain barrels a fine idea that Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon supported but, in our area, is ultimately a “drop on a hot rock,” though every drop counts.  Marlene suggested Li reach out to Eymund Diegel who had given this issue a hard look.

2: Joan reported – US Geological Survey work being done on behalf of the DEP – Michael Como got back to me.  The USGS is looking at Gowanus but, disappointingly, is still only looking at the Federal Monitoring Well on Sterling Place and 6th Avenue. Reminded him that the Sterling Place well was quite a ways from Gowanus and quite a ways uphill from Gowanus and we need them to come down to at least Nevins between Sackett and Union (I think there are City water caps there). Have not heard back about that – will follow up.

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Minutes of the February 3, 2025 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal CAG Water Quality & Technical Committee

Attendees

Joan Salome-Rodriguez (Facilitator), Erica Eliason, Katia Kelly, Louis Kleinman, Margaret Maugenest, Susan Yung
Guests: Aaron Kaufman (Trust)

The Committee finalized the follow-up questions for EPA Remedial Project Manager Victoria Sacks: PDF here and already sent to her (thanks to Erica for the formatting cleanup!).

That item took up much of the meeting, but we also agreed that Erica would follow up with Mr. Fegal regarding the NYS DEC water quality standards review. She has already done so.

We also agreed that I would follow up on the NYC DEP-US Geological Survey groundwater survey (done).

Finally, we know that pen has been put to paper for designs at Turning Basin 1.  We do not know the deadline but have asked.  

Minutes of the February 3, 2025 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal CAG Archaeology Committee

Attendees

Joan Salome-Rodriguez (Facilitator), Joseph Alexiou, Katia Kelly, Andrea Parker, Peter Reich
Guests: Aaron Kaufman (Trust), Mary Hedge (Archivist), Michael Killian, Margaret Maugenest.

We summarized the meeting Peter and I had with Kim Maier at The Old Stone House and her suggestions that we come up with:

  • a strategic business plan
  • conduct curated exhibition planning
  • explore grants
  • explore funding possibilities (can our City Council member fund a space like the Coignet Stone Building?)
  • explore walking tours with Johnny Thornton & Emily Chiavelli for spaces on the esplanades
  • reach out to Brooklyn College Museum Studies Program for help.
  • keep thinking about spaces for exhibits (temporary or permanent) including Arts Gowanus, new GCC space, Thomas Greene Park community center, Brooklyn Public Library
  • approach the Department of Cultural Affairs and/or Department of Arts
  • find a fiscal sponsor (OSH offered)

Introduced Mary Hedge, a local archivist of many talents.

  • She said we have good intellectual control because we have all the history of the objects that have been retrieved, but
  • We need to work on provenance, ownership and 
  • Safe storage (fundraiser?).  Some storage conditions currently are good, others need work.
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Photo of three EPA staff members on the TAGA (trace air gas analyzer) bus in February 2025.

What’s In The Air? A Community Open House with EPA Scientists

Thanks to everyone who came out on a cold Brooklyn evening to make the TAGA bus open house a huge success. We hope you learned as much as we did (even over the roar and hum of the pumps!) and had a chance to meet some of your neighbors. We’re hoping to organize a second event in March or April; stay tuned!

In case the pumps were too loud (or you weren’t able to attend), the TAGA Bus is in the neighborhood in order to monitor air quality related to excavation work for the Red Hook Facility, an underground tank that will keep up to 8 million gallons of combined sewage out of the Canal during rainstorms. The TAGA bus is looking for one chemical in particular: naphthalene. Its sensors are measuring how much of it is in the air approximately 2 times per second! We are looking forward to a presentation on the analyzed data in March.

  • EPA’s Dave Mickunas explains real-time naphthalene monitoring.
  • EPA’s Natalie Loney gives an overview of the Gowanus Superfund cleanup.
  • Thanks, EPA TAGA team!
  • A closer look at the lab equipment.

You can find copies of the printed materials we had on-site in this Google Drive folder, including an example of the data collected by the equipment on the bus from December. Feel free to print and share. You can also watch and share this nice piece from News12 about the event! 

All of these documents are available on websites hosted by the various agencies and organizations that are working on cleanup efforts in our neighborhood, along with many other resources. Below are some more details and links, as well as some ways to stay involved.

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