{"id":1067,"date":"2016-03-03T14:25:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T19:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gowanuscag.org\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2016-03-03T17:04:25","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T22:04:25","slug":"minutes-of-the-may-26-2015-meeting-of-the-gowanus-canal-community-advisory-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gowanuscag.org\/index.php\/2016\/03\/03\/minutes-of-the-may-26-2015-meeting-of-the-gowanus-canal-community-advisory-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Minutes of the May 26, 2015 Meeting of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Meeting<\/strong>
\nTuesday, May 26, 2015<\/strong>
\n41 1st\u00a0Street, Brooklyn NY 11231, Mary Star of the Sea, Community Room<\/strong><\/p>\n

EPA UPDATE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Report from Christos Tsiamis, EPA Project Manager for the Gowanus Canal Cleanup<\/em><\/p>\n

While there are no pressing updates regarding the progress of EPA work in the Canal, Christos does offer important points of clarification.<\/p>\n

Recently, someone called the police regarding the equipment being used to monitor conditions on the Canal. NYPD cut the cable and disposed of the box. EPA is going to work more diligently to ensure that contact information is included with all data-collection equipment to prevent future incidents like this one.<\/p>\n

Regarding Water Quality: citizen science in the canal reportedly showed that the canal was swimmable. The EPA does not endorse this data, and does not make decisions based on single points of data.<\/p>\n

Regarding the Discussion of Stormwater Retention Tanks at the NYC Long Term Control Plan Presentation and Public Meeting: The City is obligated to prepare this plan under an order from New York State. It is important to note that it would cost much more money to acquire private property adjacent to the canal to construct the EPA-mandated tanks rather than the public property farther away from the canal. EPA has received an evaluation of sites from\u00a0New York City and the EPA has disagreements with this work; their comments have been submitted\u00a0and are part of the public record. At the public meeting discussing the LTCP, the City discussed work having to do with the Superfund cleanup, including the locations and sizes of CSO retention tanks. The City was moving forward without talking about EPA feedback offered on the retention tanks. What the City\u00a0presented at that meeting will not be constructed in the neighborhood to manage CSO runoff.<\/p>\n

EPA is waiting for the City to respond to several batches of comments regarding final proposals for the Sponge Park project in the 1st<\/span>\u00a0St Basin. EPA recommends that the City address capacity of 2nd<\/span>\u00a0street storm sewers to receive water during wet weather events before the Sponge Park will be viable. In addition, the EPA wants\u00a0the City to develop mechanisms by which the success of the project can be evaluated.<\/p>\n

Regarding the bridges spanning the canal: the MTA was able to make\u00a0all three bridges operable. A City\u00a0barge hit a cable at the 3rd<\/span>\u00a0Street Bridge and the bridge is currently not operable.<\/p>\n

Points of Information from CAG Members:<\/em><\/p>\n