Minutes of the March 28, 2017 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group

Gowanus Canal CAG Meeting
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Mary Star of the Sea Senior Apartments, 41 1st Street

Announcements

Doug Sarno opened the meeting at 6:30 PM.
The February meeting summary was approved with no revisions.

Project Updates (Christos Tsiamis, EPA Project Manager)

  • Fourth Street Basin – Last fall’s pilot involved debris removal, as part of larger pilot that will be complete with the dredging and capping of the portion of the basin next to Whole Foods; right now EPA has the 50% design for that portion of the pilot and is looking to complete it in the coming months. We anticipate being out in the basin and doing work in summer, depending on the schedule. The work will involve installing bulkheads to support the dredging, then dredging the basin, removing the material, and treating it on a barge at Public Place. Once the material is stabilized, it will be sent offsite, as described in the Record of Decision (ROD). Once we’re finished dredging, we will cap that portion of the basin, which will complete cleanup for that part of the Canal.
  • The First Street Basin, located adjacent to the Powerhouse property, is filled in. The ROD calls for excavation and the basin will be restored to waterway once EPA is done. We are working with the city to finish the design in the coming months; the goal is to start construction by the end of the year or early next year.
  • The Powerhouse property is not part of the Superfund site but does have a PCB problem. It’s being cleaned up under the NYS Brownfields program, but EPA wants the site cleaned to levels that won’t turn it into a source of recontamination of the Canal. We will keep the CAG posted.
  • The design of the entire upper Canal cleanup (RTA) involves similar aspects to the Fourth Street Basin, but is more complicated because we need to stabilize the banks so that when the dredging happens, there’s no collapse. The properties are individually owned and every bulkhead reconstruction has to be done in co-operation with the property owners. In cases where the owners are not willing to do the work, EPA will coordinate with PRPs to make sure the design and construction will be on time for all the different bulkheads north of the Fourth Street Basin and the start of dredging, in late 2018.
  • EPA goals are based on what we think is a reasonable allocation of time for engineering projects; the parties we work with have different schedules, which requires lots of discussion to reconcile.
  • Bulkhead restoration and reconstruction involves many legal arrangements between EPA and the owners, and EPA and PRPs. Brian Carr (EPA attorney) will describe what kind of work is involved.

Read more »

Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Resolution on the Brownfield Cleanup of the Northside Site and Historical Significance

At its April 25, 2017 general meeting, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group passed the following resolution, originally proposed by the CAG’s Archaeology Committee.

Henry Willems
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Environmental Remediation 625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-7017

By Email: henry.willems@dec.ny.gov

Site Name: Gowanus Canal Northside
Site Code: C224080
Program: Brownfield Cleanup Program

The following comments have been prepared by the Archaeology Committee and approved by the full Gowanus EPA Community Advisory Group for consideration as part of the DEC lead cleanup of contamination on this site.

There is reason to believe that this brownfield site may have significant archaeological remains from the events that took place during the August 1776 Battle of Brooklyn. The area is noted as the place where General Washington’s army operated Fort Box, a one-gun fort to guard the Freek’s mill-pond passage across the Gowanus Creek. Maps from 1776 indicate this passage across the creek met solid ground on the west side at the location of your C224080 cleanup site.

Historic references, both maps and historical documents, state that Fort Box was located in the vicinity of present-day Sackett and DeGraw streets on the western side of the Gowanus, which is the same area as the proposed brownfield clean up.

An eyewitness account of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn, as seen from the west side of the Gowanus, near Fort Box, was given by a Private Joseph Martin in a book he wrote in 1830 under the title, A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier. The present-day historian, David McCullough, referenced Private Martin’s writings in his book, 1776.

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Minutes of the April 4, 2017 Land Use Committee Meeting

The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group’s Land Use Committee met on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in the offices of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy at 543 Union Street.

Committee Members present: David Briggs, Rita Miller, Andrea Parker, Peter Reich, Triada Samaras, Sue Wolfe, Maryann Young

Item 1

Could the 7th Street and Lowe’s turning basins become salt marshes? After some discussion, it was agreed that they should be included in the list of areas that the NRDA trustees consider for restoration.

Action

The committee will compile a list of areas and contact the trustees.

Item 2

Questions from committee member: “What are salt marshes?” and “Do they increase mosquito populations/problems possibly posing a problem for residents nearby?” Answer: Salt marshes support different types of plants, fish, birds, and invertebrates.

Action

More research required on the mosquito issue.

Item 3

Carl Alderson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the waterfront planning person for the Department of City Planning will be invited to the next committee meeting.

Action

Andrea will invite both individuals.

Item 4

A list of public and private land/waterways that could be considered for ecological restoration under the NRDA was developed. Sites include the Salt Lot, all turning basins, street ends, extension of the 4th Street turning basin east of 3rd Avenue, Long Bank Park (behind Home Depot), Lowe’s parking lot, and the former Pathmark site.

Action

The committee will present a list to the NRDA trustees.

Item 5

Questions regarding the assessment: What are the injuries that the trustees have identified? What can we ask for? Is loss of open space a potential damaged resource since it affects humans’ access to fresh air and maintaining a sustainable environment that can support plant life, trees, birds, fish, etc.?

Action

Andrea and Dave will forward the questions to Carl Alderson.

Next CAG Committee Meeting: Outreach, Thursday, May 11, 6:30 p.m.

Please join the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group’s Outreach & Education Committee for our regular monthly meeting. We’ll be meeting in the offices of the Fifth Avenue Committee, at 621 Degraw Street, in the large conference room on the ground floor (if the front door is locked, please ring the doorbell and someone will let you in).

We’ll be discussing plans for outreach at EXPO Gowanus, a possible community update town hall meeting, and other business.

As always, this meeting is open to the public.

Next Gowanus Canal CAG General Meeting: Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.

Please join us for our next General Meeting, on Tuesday, April 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Mary Star of the Sea Senior Apartments, 41 1st Street, in Carroll Gardens. All of our meetings are open to the public.

DRAFT AGENDA (all times are approximate)

6:30 – 6:40 PM: Introductions

  • Introductions
  • Approval of minutes from March meeting

6:40 – 7:00 PM: Project Updates, Q&A

  • EPA

 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Facilities Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement

  • New York City Department of Environmental Protection

8:00 PM: CAG Committee Action and Updates

  • Archaeology Committee (proposed letter to NYS DEC)
  • Outreach Committee
  • Water Quality and Technical Committee
  • Administration Committee
  • Facilitation Committee
  • Land Use Committee

8:30 PM: Adjourn

April 18 at the Brooklyn Historical Society: Superfund Brooklyn

Coming up at the Brooklyn Historical Society…

Superfund Brooklyn
Tuesday, April 18, 6:30 pm
$10 / $5 Members
Reserve your spot!

Three major environmental remediation project sites lie within or on Brooklyn’s borders, and each at big development sites: Newtown Creek, Gowanus Canal, and Wolff-Alport. Join Jarrett Murphy, Executive Publisher of City Limits, as he talks to a panel of experts about the history of these sites, cleanup efforts, and what this means for the borough. Panelists include Walter Mugdan, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Division Regional Director, Willis Elkins, Program Manager at Newtown Creek Alliance, and Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee.

NYC DEP Announces Environmental Review Process for Gowanus Canal Sewage-Retention Tank Installation

Public Scoping Session to be held May 4th at 7:00 p.m.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) announced this week that it has determined that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement must be prepared for the proposed Gowanus Canal Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Facilities Project, since the installation of the two large retention tanks intended to reduce CSOs into the Gowanus Canal may have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

NYC DEP will hold a public scoping session on May 4, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at PS 32, 317 Hoyt Street in Carroll Gardens.

The project is part of the federally required remediation of the Canal under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund), and will be reviewed in accordance with the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR), and the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The project is located at the Head End Facility, at 242 Nevins Street, 234 Butler Street and 270 Nevins Street, and at the Owls Head Facility, at 2 2nd Avenue and 110 5th Street, in Brooklyn, New York.

NYC DEP issued a Draft Scoping Document for the Gowanus Canal Combined Sewer Overflow Facilities Project EIS for public review and comment on April 4th, 2017. NYC DEP will hold an informal information and listening session one hour prior to the public scoping session on May 4th, beginning at 6:00 p.m., followed by the official scoping hearing at 7:00 p.m. They will accept public comments on the draft scoping document through May 14th, 2017.

For more information, please contact:

Rasheed Lucas, Project Manager
Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
59-17 Junction Blvd, 11th Floor
Flushing, NY 11373-5108
(718) 595-6959
rlucas@dep.nyc.gov

Related Documents:

NYC DEP Notice of Positive Declaration, Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Lead Agency Declaration, Draft Scope of Work, and Public Meeting

Draft Scope of Work to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Gowanus Canal Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Facilities Project

Minutes of the February 28, 2017 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group

Gowanus Canal CAG Meeting
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Mary Star of the Sea Senior Apartments, 41 1st Street

 

Announcements

Doug Sarno opened the meeting at 6:35.

The January meeting summary was approved with no revisions.

 

Project Updates

Natalie Loney, EPA, presented the updates

  • Planning for dredging of the 4th Street Basin is continuing; expect to mobilize in late August, dredging should be complete in February of next year; technical discussions between involved parties are moving forward and are on schedule.
  • Project Manager Christos Tsiamis will be at the March CAG meeting and will provide more detail.
  • EPA will meet with the city next week to review progress.

Questions & Answers

CAG Member: They’re working on bulkheads at the Fourth Street Basin now.
EPA: Originally the remediation plan was to start at the head of Canal and work our way down. Instead we’re starting with the Fourth Street Basin with the lessons learned and then moving to the head of the Canal.

CAG Member: How far along is National Grid in the remediation of the Public Place Site?
EPA: I don’t have an answer for that.

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Activities Relating to the Gowanus Canal

Lynn Rakos, Archaeologist at USACE, briefed the CAG.

On February 27, the Corps released the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment for the Hudson Raritan Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

  • Includes eight planning regions in a 25-mile radius around the Statue of Liberty.
  • Recommends that 260 sites in the HRE CRP go forward to other feasibility studies.
  • Corps had been doing six other studies separately starting in the 1990s and early 2000s, focusing on restoration efforts in different areas of Hudson Raritan Estuary, all of these are now incorporated into the HRE study.
  • The goal is to strengthen natural habitats and minimize environmental impacts.
  • 33 projects are recommended for funding.

USACE is also conducting a coastal storm risk-management study within the New York & New Jersey Harbor and tidally affected tributaries encompassing all of New York City. Anticipated recommendations will include features that can be implemented by the Corps and others. The Corps is currently developing a project management plan and will hold public & NGO workshops in the coming months.
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Minutes of the March 7, 2017 Land Use Committee Meeting

The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group’s Land Use Committee met on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in the offices of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy at 543 Union Street.

Committee Members present: David Briggs, Katia Kelly, Andrea Parker, Peter Reich, Buddy Scotto, Debra Scotto, Maryann Young

Guests: Terri Thomson, National Grid; David McSweeney

Item 1

1st Street turning basin was discussed. Katia reported that Eymund Diegel believes there may be an easement between the east end of the basin and 3rd Avenue.

Action

None required.

Item 2

Using a map of the canal, the committee discussed how to best approach identifying ecological restoration sites for consideration by the trustees of the National Resource Damage Assessment process. Potential sites include turning basins in Sunset Park, esplanades, street ends, and Industrial Business Zone properties (assuming owners are willing).

Action

Trustees will present at March CAG meeting where scope and feasibility of restoration projects will be discussed.

Item 3

A concern was raised about whether a committee member or organization that could knowingly benefit from the development of ecological restoration sites should participate in the discussions and decision-making on the issues.

Action

After subsequently checking with CAG by-laws, there is a general consensus that all members are welcome to participate in the discussions. Those members/organizations that could knowingly benefit from the development of ecological restoration sites should make their interests known during discussions and refrain from any decision-making.

Minutes of the February 7, 2017 Land Use Committee Meeting

The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group’s Land Use Committee met on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, in the offices of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy at 543 Union Street.

Committee Members present: David Briggs, Rafael Gomez de Luna, Katia Kelly, Andrea Parker, Peter Reich, Buddy Scotto

Guests: Terri Thomson, National Grid

Item 1

October 4, 2016 and November 1, 2016 meeting minutes approved via email.

Action

None required.

Item 2

Mission statement was discussed and finalized for full committee review.

Action

Dave will circulate.

Item 3

Andrea reported that the NOAA, US Fish & Wildlife, and NYS DEC are presenting at the March CAG meeting. They are the trustees of the Natural Resource Damages Assessment that takes place at the end of a Superfund clean up.

Action

None required.

Item 4

The committee discussed developing a map of potential canal sites where ecological restoration could take place at its next meeting in March.

Action

Andrea will provide background map for the March committee meeting.

Item 5

The committee discussed the height of the new bulkheads. It was agreed that advocating for higher bulkheads is best handled through the rezoning process that is currently underway. Katia shared that Councilmember Lander promised a hydrology study, which would help us evaluate possible bulkhead configurations.

Action

Andrea will follow up with Councilmember Lander’s office.