At its December 27, 2022 general meeting, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group passed the following resolution, initiated by the Land Use Committee, demanding that the New York City Department of Buildings, New York City Office of Environmental Remediation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of City Planning, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health, and EPA Region 2 formalize a process for oversight and communication for all remediation and construction work taking place in the Gowanus neighborhood.

The resolution reads as follows:

Resolved, the CAG urgently demands that the agencies addressed above immediately formalize competent, transparent and inclusive communications and oversight about all remediation and construction work in the Gowanus neighborhood. This must include:

BEFORE ANY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

  1. Setting and communicating clear requirements and penalties for construction hours and community notice for all permitted construction;
  2. Transparent and accessible communication to, and coordination with, all agencies, elected officials and Community Board 6 before, during and after all planned construction activities, including details about environmental monitoring protocols and results; and
  3. Providing an accessible database of all local permitted construction activities.

DURING ANY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

  1. Taking immediate action to stop construction activities that are unpermitted, taking place outside required hours or potentially creating environmental hazards for on-site workers or the surrounding community; and
  2. Providing a 24/7 contact number for community concerns, and cataloging all concerns.

Background:
We are concerned about the unanticipated pile driving activity by the private owner that began on Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 475 and 463 Smith Street in Brooklyn, Parcel 3, the former Citizen’s Manufacturing Gas Site, a known polluted area which is both a state brownfield site and part of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Superfund Site. The pile driving caused intense vibrations, intense noises, and emitted a coal tar smell. No advance notice of pending construction was received by any elected officials, EPA, Community Board 6, or the community from any agency or entity. The public deserves to know when any aspect of construction is taking place in an environmentally fragile area—particularly a highly toxic marshland full of coal tar which spreads in every direction through the site—and what oversight measures have been made to protect them from the toxicity at the site.

This community is about to undergo the development of many new buildings as a result of a major rezoning. The Gowanus rezoning was approved contingent upon a list of conditions the community expected to be fulfilled, especially with regard to the integrity of the Superfund remedy to ensure the health and safety of existing and future residents. Failure to communicate about this recent pile driving does not bode well for the public trust which needs to be repaired. Competent and transparent communications are critical for the accountability demanded by the Community Board and local residents and agreed to by the City.

Click here to view a PDF version of the full resolution.

Contractors working under the supervision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expect to complete the dredging of the northern portion of the Gowanus Canal by the end of 2022, in preparation for installation of a multi-layered protective cap over the canal bottom. Read about this work, and other news, in the EPA’s Community Update #4, embedded below and available as a PDF here.

Para obtener una versión en español, haga clic aquí.

On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 7 p.m., the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host its third public-engagement meeting about the development of the Gowanus Canal “Owls Head” combined-sewer overflow facility planned for 2nd Avenue and 6th Street in Brooklyn.

DEP and the design team will report back on the feedback received at the May 12th public engagement meeting and how it has informed the design approach for the City’s facilities and opportunities for public open space and ecosystem restoration.

DEP encourages advance registration for this meeting. For more information, and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/public-engagement-meeting-gowanus-canal-owls-head-cso-facility-tickets-433661993697.

Learn about the ongoing cleanup of the Gowanus Canal from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representatives and elected officials.

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, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) invites members of the greater Gowanus community to attend a Town Hall meeting at P.S. 32 (317 Hoyt Street) to 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.

The Gowanus Canal Cleanup: A Community Town Hall
Thursday, June 30
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
P.S. 32
317 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn
Register here.

On Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 7 p.m., the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host another online public-engagement meeting about the development of the Gowanus Canal “Owls Head” combined-sewer overflow facility planned for 2nd Avenue and 6th Street in Brooklyn.

DEP and the design team will report back on the feedback received at the February 10th public engagement meeting and how it has informed the design approach for the City’s facilities and opportunities for public open space and ecosystem restoration.

DEP encourages advance registration for this meeting. For more information, and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/public-engagement-meeting-gowanus-canal-owls-head-cso-facility-tickets-321448550267

The public is invited to comment on a proposed remedy being reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), in consultation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), to address contamination related to the 240 Huntington Street site (“site”) located at 240 Huntington Street, Brooklyn, NY.

Based on the findings of the investigation, NYSDEC in consultation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has determined that the site does not pose a significant threat to public health or the environment.

How to Comment: NYSDEC is accepting written comments about the proposed plan, called a “Draft Remedial Action Work Plan,” through April 23, 2022.

You can access the Draft Remedial Action Work Plan and supporting documents here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C224314/.

The site is located as indicated in the map below.

You can download a fact sheet about the proposed project here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/c224314cuprop.pdf.

You can sign up to receive updates and information about sites being addressed under New York State’s Superfund, Brownfield Cleanup, and Environmental Restoration Programs here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/61092.html.