"It Only Takes 1/10th Of An Inch Of Rain": Flyer Spotted On Smith Street Warns Of CSO Events

I spotted the flyer above, taped to a pay phone on Smith Street, last Friday. It seemed appropriate since Tropical Storm Andrea was dumping upwards of four inches of rain on the Metropolitan area that day, and breaking previous rainfall records all along the Northeast.
No doubt, the heavy rains flooded quite a few basements in the area, especially in Gowanus,

And today, it's raining heavily once again.

No group or individual took credit for the flyer and it was the only one I spotted on Smith Street.

Its message, however, is relevant and important for this area. As many of you know, New York City has an antiquated combined sewer system, which means that rain run-off from streets and roofs get collected in the same pipes with domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater, which lead to a waste water treatment facility.

The Red Hook and Owls Head Wasterwater Treatment Plants are responsible for our area. However, when the facilities exceed their capacity because of flash floods or heavy rainfall, the excess waste water is discharged into the Gowanus Canal.

There are currently 10 active Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) and three storm water outfalls that dump directly into the canal.
The largest and most significant outflow is RH-034, which is located at the head of the canal. RH-034 contributes an annual discharge of roughly 121 million gallons.

(Who can forget the 2010 video of the CSO event at RH-034 )

The CSOs aren't just an embarrassment to New York City, they represent a significant risk to human health and to wildlife.

Though the City is currently working on upgrading the Gowanus Canal Flushing Tunnel and Waste Water Pumping Station, the upgrades will only reduce Combined Sewer Overflows into the canal by approximately 34%.

The Environmental Protection Agency has declared the 1.8 mile man-made canal a Superfund Site. The Agency has proposed a comprehensive cleanup plan to address the many decade’s worth of toxic sludge at the bottom at the canal as well as the ongoing pollution from upland sites adjacent to the waterway. In order to ensure continued protection of the canal once it has been remediated, the EPA has determined that future permanent CSO sediment controls are required. The agency has roposed in-line retention tanks be constructed near outfalls RH-034 and OH-007, the two largest contributors of CSOs and solids into the Gowanus.
These retention basins would go a long way towards finding a real solution to the CSO problem.

Mayor Bloomberg and NYC's Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Commissioner Carter Strickland have poo-pooed the idea so far.

What can we do as citizens besides advocating for 100% cessation of CSOs into the Gowanus Canal?
On a rainy day like today or last Friday, don't contribute more waste water to an already overloaded system. Wait till after the rains to run your washing machine or your dishwater. That would already help a tiny bit.

The result of a CSO event on the Gowanus Canal

A visual of CSO sludge accumulation from Outflow RH-034 at the head of the Gowanus Canal, clearly visible during dry weather during a low tide

Gowanus Canal CSO Outflow Locations.

(EPA Map)

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Community to DEP's Commissioner Strickland: Water Quality Improvement Plan Doesn't Go Far Enough

Most of last night's Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group's general meeting was dedicated to a discussion with NYC's Department Of Environmental Protection and the agency's role in the clean-up of the polluted waterway.

Commissioner Carter Strickland was on hand to give a presentation on DEP's Gowanus Canal Water Quality Improvement plan, which aims to control the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) by upgrading the Gowanus Facilities. The $140 million upgrade to the wastewater pumping station at the head of the Canal is currently under way and will supposedly reduce CSOs by 34% and significantly reduce 'floatables'. It will also increase the pumping capacity from 20 million gallons a day to 30 MGD.

In addition, the agency is planning on dredging to control odors.

DEP is in the early stages of evaluating projects such as High Level Storm Sewers (HLSS), which could divert stormwater run-off from the combined sewer system and thereby result in fewer CSO events. HLSS will be designed for the 96-acre area bounded by 1st Place, 4th Avenue, State Street and 3rd Avenue. DEP believes that these HLSS will capture 50% of the drainage area runoff.

Commissioner Strickland also mentioned that New York City is investing $735 million in its city-wide Green Infrastructure plan, which will control runoff from 10% of impervious surfaces. "We are searching constantly for better ways. To find cost effective solutions" he stated.

After the presentation, members of the CAG engaged Commissioner Strickland in a brief question and answer session. It was apparent from some of the questions that many felt that that the DEP was still lacking the will to actually do what was needed to really improve water quality. As Marlene Donnelly of Friends And Residents Of Greater Gowanus pointed out, the DEP is still relying on rainfall data from 1988, a historically dry year in which rainfall totaled 40". However, in the last 10 years, the area has seen an average of 60" of rainfall a year. "Your model is not adequate" Donnelly pointed out. "Looking into the future, we need a model that is based on real rainfall."

Steven Miller, another CAG member, criticized DEP for not exploring and investing in gray infrastructure and for not including retention basins in their plan.

Another member pointed out that $735 million was a lot to spend on NYC's Green Infrastucture plan to manage a mere 10% of rainfall.

Member Lizzy Olesker expressed it best when she said that she was disappointed by the presentation and the lack of transparency. The DEP was still not engaging with the community, she felt. "What is it? A lack of political will?"

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New DEP Commissioner Strickland To Attend Tonight's Gowanus CAG Meeting

The EPA Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group will meet at its general meeting tonight, Tuesday, September 27 at PS 58, 330 Smith Street from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Commissioner Carter Strickland will be attending the meeting with members of his staff.

This will be the community's first opportunity to speak to the new Commissioner on his agency's activities as they relate to the Gowanus Canal.

Mayor Bloomberg appointed Strickland as commissioner of NYC DEP in August '11. He was previously DEP's Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability and was a principal architect of Bloomberg's City’s Green Infrastructure Plan.

There will be a question -and-answer period with members of the CAG.

Also on the agenda is a vote on a motion for the CAG to request TASC assistance (Technical Assistance Services for Communities). EPA has received a request from a community member, but has indicated that the formal request must come from the CAG.

As always, the community at large is invited to attend the meeting.

To access all documents relating to the Gowanus CAG, click here.

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DEP's Commissioner Carter Strickland To Attend Next Gowanus CAG Meeting

The next EPA Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group will meet at its general meeting on Tuesday, September 27 at PS 58, 330 Smith Street from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Commissioner Carter Strickland will be attending the meeting with members of his staff. Mayor Bloomberg appointed Strickland as commissioner of NYC DEP in August '11. He was previously DEP's Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability and was a principal architect of Bloomberg's City’s Green Infrastructure Plan.

This will be the community's first opportunity to speak to the Commissioner on his agency's activities as they relate to the Gowanus Canal.

The Gowanus Canal CAG will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at PS 58, 330 Smith Street. There will be a question -and-answer period with members of the CAG.

As always, the community at large is invited to attend the meeting.

To access all documents relating to the Gowanus CAG, click here.

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