Gowanus Canal Superfund Update

Owen Foote of the Gowanus Dredgers paddles on the Gowanus Canal ©Mark D Phillips

For those who are regular to this site, southbrooklyn.com started with features on the Gowanus Canal.

Over the years, we have seen the canal receive massive amounts of press and none at all for long periods of time. Now, it has become a hot topic with a proposal for Superfund status.

EPA has proposed to add the Gowanus Canal to the Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The proposed listing would allow the Agency to further investigate contamination at the site and develop an approach to address this contamination.

The public comment period for this site has been extended to July 8th. According to the NY Times, "officials in the Bloomberg administration argued that a Superfund designation could set off legal battles with the polluters and defer completion of the cleanup for decades. They also warned that the label could scare away developers and stigmatize an area the city had planned to rezone for new residential and commercial uses."

In the same story, "E.P.A. officials, who estimate the cost of the Gowanus cleanup at $300 million to $400 million, said the city’s plan relies on federal allocations that may not be forthcoming and adds to an already complicated process by having both the corps and the E.P.A. tackle parts of the cleanup."

The Gowanus Dredgers have brought thousands to the Gowanus Canal and increased the awareness throughout the community. Personally, I have canoed throughout the Gowanus and see the possibilities that the waterway offers. Owen Foote, treasurer of the club, was quoted in the Courier saying, “We have less−than enthusiastic embracement of the proposal to designate our recreational [waterway] a Superfund site. We would like to see it cleaned, and the most important thing for the canoe club is to take steps to facilitate the clean−up."

We would like to know what the community thinks. Send us an email with your thoughts as we expand on this topic.