Last Night, Act Two Of City's Gowanus Alternative Clean-Up Plan Presentation

Last night was Round 2 of the City's presentation on their alternative plan for the Gowanus Canal. This time, the meeting was geared towards Gowanus-area business owners.
Cas Holloway, Chief Of Staff to NYC Deputy Mayor Skyler, again was the master of ceremony. ( How Mr. Holloway can continue to keep a straight face during these presentations is beyond me. How much salary do you suppose the city pays him to act as sacrificial lamb? Probably not enough!!!!)

I am still in South Carolina, but received accounts of the meeting from neighborhood residents who were in attendance.. Below is their great coverage.

First account:

The City finally claimed ownership of the letter they are circulating about their alternative and but it on city letterhead.

In answer to the previous evening's question, Cas Holloway indicated that no money has been spent on lobbyists to DC because municipalities can lobby and Cas has been to DC several times to lobby for the City's Alternative Superfund plan. We learned at Tuesday night's meeting that Cas is neither an engineer nor a scientist. He is, however, a former corporate litigator which for some reason he mentioned several times last night. This explains so much like why he sometimes seems to be defending client whom he knows is guilty, the word parsing, the careful delivery.

Walter Mungden and his team, who are engineers/have science backgrounds, were there and as usual Walter logically dispelled the misinformation and clarified the City's points and answers. Walter also said that the EPA has indicated in writing that the EPA sees no reason why the City cannot proceed with the flushing tunnel work. So, that avenue of threat seems to be closed for the City but I am sure they will conjure up something else. Walter also inserted a dose of reality in terms of PRP liability. The EPA's intention is not to drive viable business away and the EPA can not blood from a stone so it is unlikely they will go after someone for $100,000 if they only have $5,000.

The City had some new slides. One slide contained the fear mongering tactic that super fund would lower property values, make obtaining mortgages difficult, lead to higher interest rates for area residents, etc. He was however very careful to say that it "could" lead to these things. Deb Scotto was all too happy to jump on the fear mongering bandwagon and was a little more strident than Cas saying that super fund would just be a stigma on the neighborhood it would condemn the neighborhood and people wouldn't be able to rent their properties, renovate, refinance, or sell.

Once some of the audience members realized that if they were deemed PRPs under either plan they would have pay they became more skeptical. They also realized that litigation would probably be part of the equation under either plan. One person seemed to indicate that maybe the preferable thing to do was nothing since there didn't seem to be any health related problems caused by proximity to the canal. Cas did say that doing nothing was not an option. And of course no comprehensive health study has been done or if it has it is outdated and impossible to obtain.

Dan Wiley, from Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez's office, set the record straight regarding the use of WRDA and the viability of using that source of funding. There is a waiting list of properties for the funds, it is 50 million per year shared between all the states, you have to reapply for it every year, other areas in New York Harbor are on the list for funding but the canal is not. It doesn't sound like it is a true option. He also made a very important point - this isn't a political but a scientific decision.

It doesn't seem like there will be much difference in time frames and if I understood correctly the epa might be a little quicker. City wouldn't start for four or five years anyway. I think the City's push for support is more of stalling maneuver than a real commitment to clean the canal. My feeling is that in two or three years they will be more than happy to throw in the towel and turn it over to the EPA and in the meantime the City can use that time to get the Gowanus rezoning through. Cas did refer several times to the City's "plans" for the canal but never really indicated what those "plans" are. It would be nice if the City would clue the community in as to what the Bloomberg Administration plans for the neighborhood although I am sure we can all make a good guess.

A good portion of the audience seemed to be affiliated with Clean Gowanus Now! , GCCDC, and the CB6 Land Use Committee cabal. These meetings seem to be little more than a PR stunt orchestrated to drum up support for the City's Superfund Alternative Plan. The bottom line is that is not a popularity contest nor as Dan Wiley so rightfully noted last night is it a political decision but a scientific decision.

This is the second report sent to me by a local resident in attendance last night.

Some additions: there have been 45 sites which have used or are using the alternative plan--of these only one had multiple prps--(20 of them vs the 150 to 200 thought here) Not really sure what phase that project is in but one out of forty five suggests that alternative plans with multiple prps is not the best way to go

There were about 100 people there tonight--lots of suits- including David Von Spreckelsen, Toll Brothers V.P.---I wondered how they were all informed of the meeting but no one asked. It seemed to me that after a little while, most of the suits left a little disappointedly--maybe the initial city sales pitch sounded good but once Mugdan's calm, focused facts, combined with the plain truth that the EPA has nothing to gain or lose by choosing listing or alternative routes vs the city's "IF" (in giant flashing neon letters) plan was even too much for them to bear.

Ellen from State Senator Daniel Squadron's office, was there. She left copies of Daniel's pro Superfund statement. Both Oscar Jonas and Irene Van Slyke of Velmanette Montgomery's office were there--the senator's statement in support of Superfund was also available.

Ms. Found In Brooklyn also has a great recap of the meeting on her blog. Make sure you read it here: The Word "Superfund" Scares the City! A Recap on City's "Alternative to Superfund" Presentation.

My thanks go to my very involved neighbors who continuously attend these meetings and educate themselves on issues. I truly appreciate that they took the time to write these posts so that all Carroll Gardeners/Gowanus residents can stay informed.

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Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath: Gowanus Business Owners Concerned About Toxic Sludge Left Behind After Canal Flood Waters Receded

(credit: google maps)

Due to their location on the banks of the Gownus Canal several businesses, most of them film production companies, have endured severe flooding during Hurricane Sandy.   Though the three and a half feet of water have now receded from the Douglas Street block were they are housed, the owners of Canal Creatures, CW Films, Eastern Effects, Camera Farm, Scrap Paper Productions, Alex Sullivan Audio, Papa, and PMC Digital are very concerned about the toxic compounds and raw sewage that were mixed in the water and are now coating everything.  Since the Gowanus Canal was declared a Superfund site by the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency, these concerns are understandable.
Here is a link to a video showing the damage and sludge left behind after the storm.

Kevin Howard, Production Manager and Co-owner of Canal Creatures Production writes:

"It is a horror show, with smells that we have never encountered before, even after years of living and working along the banks of the canal. NO ONE understands what the long-term effects will be of a SuperFund site having been stirred up and spread all over the Gowanus neighborhood. The many contaminants of this site have been resuspended in the flood water and are now in everything that has been soaked by the flood!

 Mark Bracamonte, Production Creature at Canal Creatures described the situation facing these businesses:

Our building has been sealed shut, and multiple film production business have been displaced and are now out of business. The EPA came down, only after many harassing calls from us. They came and took samples saying they would have results in 8 hours. That was 3 days ago. We still have no word.
There is ZERO neighborhood awareness about the potential health risks the area is facing. People are digging through contaminated trash, and debris with NO GLOVES and proper gear. IT IS SHOCKING THAT THE C TOWN GROCERY SUPERMARKET ON BOND AND DOUGLASS IS OPEN AND SELLING FOOD when we know they had the same toxic flood water as we did."

Some of the businesses have fund temporary quarters at Film Biz Recycling, the Gowanus recycling/prop rental center, where they "will figure out [their] strategy for dealing with this immediate situation."
They have also shared their neighborhood story online on a Tumblr blog here: canalcreatures.tumblr.com

In an interview on the blog, Chris Hayes, principal partner at Eastern Effects states:

"We had a devastating flood like everyone else in the community. We have gotten no help from any government agency as of yet. No information that has been coherent as to what steps we should take, no one is telling us if the area is safe to inhabit, what we are being exposed to. No one has any answers. You kind of get the run around when we call anybody, I kind of feel like we have been left for dead out here, I mean, I have millions of dollars in inventory that’s sitting rotting now because we cant figure out what to do about it, if I’m even supposed to be in the building or not. There’s little snippets of information that are conflicting, so I feel like it’s every man for himself around here in this area. ….We built our business in this area, built up the community, and every one has abandoned us. It’s heart breaking, there’s no words that can express my sorrow that has happened to me and my partners here. It’s just a bad situation."

In the meantime, Councilman Brad Lander released this statement:

"Many of you have contacted me with concerns about the Gowanus Canal, a highly polluted waterway, which flooded neighboring streets. I have communicated with EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck and NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland. Thanks to both of them for making the time, and communicating quickly (with each other, and with me) about our concerns at the canal.If you live near the canal, do not touch standing water in the area, or any sediment or debris left by Gowanus flood-waters."

At a press conference after Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway seemed flippant about the dangers associated with the health risks from Gowanus flood waters. When asked about the health risks related to the toxic water, Cas Holloway, who is more familiar to the Gowanus community as the former head of NYC's Department Of Environmental Protection (DEP) and, along with Mayor Bloomberg, a vocal opponent of the Superfund designation for the canal stated: "We’ll make sure that–we don’t think there’s any immediate danger to anybody and we don’t think there’s any issue.”

However, I just received an email from David Green, a science teacher, who raises the alarm on the dangers associated with the toxins. He writes:

"I am a science teacher with a background in Chemistry and Physics living in Brooklyn Heights.I saw your post on the flooding from the Gowanus canal.
The situation you describe is quite serious concerning the toxicological hazard from that particular flood. All the flooding in NY produced some hazard because of the sewage mixed with the flood water (particularly bad in red hook), but the Gowanus waters are leaden with Lead and Mercury, and dangerous volatiles too.
Sewage can be cleaned and sterilized with detergent and chlorine bleach, but if toxic water and sludge gets into a basement (or first floor) there is no way to clean it out completely. Wooden floors and even concrete absorb it and leave residues that cannot be removed.

Note: In areas that have been contaminated with lead and mercury compounds Chlorine bleach (such as Chlorox) could have the unintended consequence of turning non soluble compounds into more soluble ones making exposure risks greater, so bleach should not be used in Gowanus flooded areas.

The long term dangers of these toxins are so great that I would recommend to all people who lived in a dwelling that got flooded by the Gowanus (basements and first floor apartments that got filled with this water), to notmove back in to their apartments.
This is even more the case for people who have children. The younger the child the more damage is done by heavy metal poisoning, and the damage is essentially permanent. This damage can take years to accumulate in the nervous system but once done cannot be remedied. It does not take much to cause damage- the amount a child ingests by putting their hands in their mouth is more than enough. Some of these chemicals produce continuous vapors which makes it impossible to avoid exposure.

I would strongly advise people with children especially babies and toddlers to not move back in, until the apartment is cleaned and then tested for these chemicals. If levels are above those set for safe exposure they should find someplace else to live.
I know that this could cause utter disruption of peoples lives, but disruption of living plans is better than permanent neurological damage."

This is probably the best advice. The Gowanus Canal is a toxic brew on a good day. Hurricane Sandy's flood waters certainly deposited hazardous substances and sewage in businesses and homes on the banks of the Gowanus. I am frankly surprised that we don't have people in Hazmat suits controlling the situation.

   

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Airing On Brooklyn Independent Television: City And EPA Discuss Gowanus Clean-Up

The Waters Of The Gowanus Canal

BCAT's Round Table is airing this interesting conversation between EPA Project Manager Christos Panos, Community Board 6 District Manager and Cas Holloway, Chief Of Staff to NYC Deputy Mayor Skyler.
The discussion focuses on the difference between the EPA's Gowanus Canal Superfund plan as opposed to the city's alternative, which has been cobbled together hastily by Mayor Bloomberg's administration, in response to the EPA's proposal to include the canal on its list of Superfund Priority sites.

Mr. Holloway's presentation has gotten a wee bit more polished since the last time he gave it at a public meeting back in May, but it still fails to convince.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

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Another Long Time Gowanus Resident Writes Letter To EPA's Lisa Jackson

In the last week, Gowanus/ Carroll Gardens area residents have written letters to the Environmental Protection Agency's Administrator, Lisa Jackson, urging her to uphold her agency's integrity by keeping politics out of the decision-making process. The letters were sent in response to reports that New York Mayor Bloomberg has phoned Lisa Jackson directly to push the city's alternative plan to the EPA's listing of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund Site.

The EPA had reassured the community repeatedly that the decision would be based purely on science, not politics.

The letter bellow is by a twenty-year resident of the Gowanus area.

As an engaged community member I have attended many meetings over
the year that were held by various agencies such as USACE and DEC.
We were offered a glimmer of hope that something would happen with
the canal but these plans went nowhere. Myself and others do not
have faith that the city will be able, or even want to, complete the
job. The City and Cas Holloway have made no secret that the canal
will remain on NPL and could be designated as a Superfund site at a
later date if the City can not perform. The EPA has the expertise,
knowledge, and resources to get the job done and in a manner that is
safe for the many residents who live in close proximity to the
canal. I do not believe that the City and possibly developers will
be as conscientious . My sense however is that the City won't begin
any actual clean up. Rather, they will ram through their rezoning
plan and use three or four years to complete "studies" while luxury
housing is being built and then request that the canal be designated
a Superfund and thereby leaving new condo owners holding the bag.
Additionally, I am not even sure that the lots located along the
canal's banks are suitable for large scale development due to sub
soil conditions and the water table. I do know, however, that the
canal must be cleaned and this should be completed before any
residential development is contemplated. It also stands to reason
that the potential for a future designation would also scare off
developers/private investment.

I also want to address the Toll Brothers project as I am sure they
have also been heavily lobbying your agency. Toll Brothers has been
in contract for several years to purchase the site. The contract was
contingent on their obtaining a rezoning which the did in early
March. They could have closed on the property then but for whatever
chose not to.

Rumors are circulating throughout the neighborhood that the City
Administration is continuing to lobby your agency even though the
comment period has ended and that is my reason for writing to you.
Please do not let the political pressure exerted by the Bloomberg
Administration interfere with your decision making process and
designate the canal a Superfund site.

Again, I wish to thank you and your team. The neighborhood views
Walter Mugden, George Pavlou, and Natalie Loney as rock stars.
Myself and many others have confidence that they will get the job
done properly and safely for both current and future residents.

***Please send your own email or phone to the following:

*Lisa Jackson, Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency

202-564-4700 email: jackson.lisap@epa.gov

*President Obama, The White House

email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

*Governor David A. Paterson

State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518-474-8390
to email, click here

*NY Senator Charles Schumer: 914-734-1532

*NY Senator Kristin Gillibrand: 212-688-6262

*Representative Nydia Velazquez: 718-599-3658

*Representative Yvette Clarke: 718-287-1142


Related Reading:

Please Help Get Bloomberg Politics Out Of The Gowanus Canal Clean-Up!

Bloomberg Still Pushing His Gowanus Greenwashing Plan Over EPA Environmental Science

Mayor Bloomberg, Your Band-Aid Approach To Gowanus Clean-Up No Solution

Gowanus Superfund: City And Elected Officials Spinning As Fast As They Can

Last Night's CB6 Gowanus Superfund Meeting: The Pros Vs. The Amateurs

Regarding Gowanus Superfund Designation, Our Local Pols Are Showing Incredible Lack Of Leadership

'Why The Gowanus Should Be A Superfund Site' By Tom Angotti, PHD



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Last Night, City Talked Gowanus Alternative Clean-Up Plan, But Didn't Seem To Convince Many

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No, no, dear Reader, I was not at last night's meeting hosted by the City to once again tout their half-baked 'Alternative Plan' to clean the Gowanus Canal. I am still on a beach vacation in South Carolina, but you know that my Brooklyn neighborhood is never far from my mind.

This morning, I received a very thorough account of the meeting from area residents who attended the first of two meetings, one for home-owners, the other for business-owners along the canal. Last night's was for home-owners.

This is the report:

The city meeting was fairly interesting. Cas Holloway, Chief Of Staff to NYC Deputy Mayor Skyler. was the designated hitter for the city once again with Dan Walsh, Chief of the New York City Superfund and Brownfield Program, on deck for an occasional and ineffective pinch hit.

Walter Mugdan of the EPA was there and although he clearly tried to maintain his distance from the microphone, he was the voice of reason, calm and common sense.

There was a flyer distributed by the city which a local resident held up and contemptuously labeled, "spin"--others in the audience quickly and loudly agreed with this. There was a letter written by an unknown fifth generation Gowanus banks-grown person begging not to Superfund and a postcard from the cleangowanusnow.org folks printed up and ready to go for those who do not want Superfund.

There was an appearance and some questions from Josh Skaller, 39th City Council District candidate, and a surprise for me--a fellow named Doug Biviano, who is running for Councilman in the 33rd. He is a civil engineer, articulate and put the city right on the spot (one of Dan Walsh' moments were required here)

The city has no plan. They are trying to say that this can be done through the W.R.D.A. program, even though Walter Mugdan expressed doubts. Dan Wiley, of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez's office, gave facts and the congresswoman's comments quoted in the June 11th article in the Downtown Star refuted the idea completely. They, the city, claim that they will kick in for some of the initial studies. The only thing they really seem to care about is saving certain parties money and getting the feds (basically, us) to foot a big part of the deep discount for the prps.

Walter Mugdan made it very clear that the timeline for the City's or EPA's plan will be the same. The City has no ability to move any faster than the EPA -- in fact starting with the City could actually cost more time because their plan is more complex. It is a matter of where the money comes from and how successfully all of the Potentially Reponsible Parties can agree to play nicely--all of it a very unlikely scenario.

When the city was asked why they are "expending a great amount of resources" (their words) in order to save a handful of PRP's money at the expense of a great deal of the community's wishes, they really did not have an answer.

They had a slide as part of their presentation that was widely criticized and will probably be excluded from future presentations. It was supposed to show how much better and faster the city plan is in comparison to EPA but it was a bust.

When the City was asked why two meetings, they said it was to accommodate everyone. When it was pointed out that notification was spotty and attendance not that great because of it, they apologized. They actually apologized a lot--and promised that there would be answers to some of tonight's questions tomorrow--like which developers they met with privately.
We asked them to bring the army corps of engineers with them tomorrow but no promises were made there--just an agreement to ask them to come.

Ellen was there from State Senator Daniel Squadron's office, but she said nothing. Tom Gray, of Councilman Bill De Blasio's office sent out a notice that no one from Bill's office would be there due to "scheduling conflicts", but he promised someone would be there tomorrow night and all meetings going forward. Did not see anyone from Joan Millman's office and Deanna Betteti of Yvette Clarke's office is in DC.
John Heyer Sr and Jr were there but I did not see Brad Lander, Bob Zuckerman or Buddy Scotto.

Part two of the city's Spinfest is tonight at PS32

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Comment Of The Day: Spinning Crap

Anonymous has left the following comment on the post "Must Watch: "The City's Broken Promise: Superfunding The Gowanus":

Cas Holloway is paid a lot of money by us to spin the crap that comes from Mayor Mike's office and sewage overflows. We must remember Mayor Mike loves his middle class like we are his little puppies. People who live live in the projects and eat toxic Gowanus fish as a major source of protein were never even considered until the EPA stepped in.

We all make choices, and everyone who lives in a dreamworld chanting that for-profit development is the key to fixing everything will have to live with the karmic consequences to people's health, whether these are for profit developments like Toll's, or Public Place, as advocated by Brad Lander. They are delusional and it is up to us to remain vigilant and fight the good fight!

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Comment Of The Day: When Pigs Fly Down Court Street

Anonymous left this comment on Last Night, City Talked Gowanus Alternative Clean-Up Plan, But Didn't Seem To Convince Many


The majority of the community's feelings were succinctly summed up when one of my favorite community activists blew the city a raspberry. I have one of the postcards that were circulated last night. I think people should take a Sharpie to the pre-printed statement on the card, add a comment in support of the Superfund and thank Clean Gowanus Now! for providing a stamp. Another question that Cas Holloway is supposed to answer tonight is how much the city has spent on lobbyists to DC. The City's plan also creates the potential for protracted litigation without the benefit of collecting treble damages if a PRP is found liable. The City is also relying on funding under WRDA which receives 50 million a year and is shared between all the states. As always, the EPA did a phenomenal job of dispelling any misinformation and providing concrete information in a forthright manner with no spin. The major difference seems to be that if the stars align properly and pigs fly down Court street PRPs will be responsible for 35% of the cost of the clean up whereas with the Superfund PRP's will be responsible for a larger percentage. I am looking forward to Round 2.

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