National Grid's Own Documents Prove That Contaminants From Public Place In Gowanus Migrated Off-Site

Public Place, the large empty swath of land between Smith Street and the Gowanus Canal in Carroll Gardens, may be one of the most contaminated sites in New York State and there are grave concerns that it may never be fully cleaned up despite current remediation efforts.  How did Public Place get so contaminated?
This is the site of the former Citizens Gas Company's Manufacturing Gas Plant, one of three such MGPs that once operated along the Gowanus Canal.

The Citizens Gas Company began operations in the late 1860's and then passed into the ownership of Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG) in 1895, which demolished the plant in the 1960's, when the MGP ceased operation. In subsequent years, BUG was merged with Keyspan, which was then acquired by National Grid in 2007.

What has been left behind is poisoned land. Coal tar, a highly toxic and carcinogenic by-product of the gas manufacturing process, has been allowed to migrate freely throughout the site and into the Gowanus Canal.  On Public Place, the deepest tar observed extended to approximately 153 feet below the ground surface.

Finally, after decades of exposing local residents to this toxicity, three of the four parcels that made up the former MGP site are currently being remediated by National Grid under the supervision of New York State's Department Of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through the state's Brownfield program.

However, the remediation can hardly be called a clean-up. It would be more appropriate to call it a containment, since most of the coal tar will remain in the soil forever.
Just recently, the Carroll Gardens / Gowanus community learned that DEC had allowed National Grid to significantly alter and degrade the remediation, sparking concerns that future residents would be exposed to the remaining contamination.

A look at National Grid's online repository for the Citizen's Gas Site documents reveals exactly how dangerously contaminated the site is.
According to a Remediation Investigation Report from 2005 by environmental consultant firm GEI, "groundwater moving through the areas of tar-saturated soil and residual tar will dissolve the BTEX components and light molecular weight PAHs (e.g., naphthalene). The resultant groundwater plume will migrate in the direction of groundwater flow. "
The study also revealed that in some spots, soil vapor contained elevated levels of benzene, toluene, and xylenes.

The most concerning information, however, can be found in a document entitled 2005 Final Remedial Investigation for Public Place, which can also be found in National Grid's online repository.
The community has known for a while that coal tar from Public Place has migrated into the adjacent Gowanus Canal. Local residents therefore asked if the contamination could have found its way past the other three boundaries of the site.
If one studies the report carefully, the answer, alarmingly, seems to be "YES".

The 2005 report clearly shows that pockets of coal tar have oozed underneath Smith Street, Huntington Street, as well as 4th Street at Hoyt Street, where it was detected underneath a row of buildings.
Yet, neither National Grid, nor NYC DEC admitted this important fact to local residents, though they were asked at numerous occasions at public meetings.

Below, we will guide you through the documents from the 2005 Final Remedial Investigation to reveal that contamination from the former MGP site at Public Place is no longer confined to its boundaries.

The four parcels that make up the former Citizens Gas Site

Arial view of the MGP site  in 1926, showing the various round gas holders. Parcel I with the three 

holders near Smith and 5th Street apparently holds the most pollution.

This diagram is from page 290 Of the 2005 GEI report

This particular map shows the survey of the site boundaries, as well as the cross sections (A-A' to G-G') along which soil borings were taken and ground water monitoring wells were installed by GEI. 

This is page 306 from the report. It shows the results of the soil samplings and ground water analysis from cross sections A-A'  and B-B'. The best way of visualizing this is by imaging cutting a straight line into a cake. The cut piece would reveal the different layers of the cake. In this instance, it shows the soils and contamination found in this cross section.

This speaks for itself, obviously, but notice that the dark blues indicate presence of coal tar.

Let us take a closer look at section B-B', which starts at Smith Street on Parcel I and ends at 6th Street on the other side of the Gowanus Canal.

Here is the level of pollution found deep in the ground on Parcel I along the B-B' section.

Corner of 5th Street and Smith Street, which according to cross section diagram,

 indicates a pocket of contaminated ground water.

This is where it gets interesting. This is the beginning of that B cross section of Parcel 1 at the corner of Smith Street and 5th Street, where the three gas holders that can be seen in the 1929 photo were once located.

If you look at the left hand side of the diagram, you will see a turquoise section in the 'shallow zone' that indicates that "coal tar staining, sheen and odors" were observed in the groundwater at this spot. The upper blue number in the little white box shows that at this spot, the groundwater concentration of BTEX, which refers to the chemicals benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, is 13,300 μg/mL (parts per billion). The lower number indicates PHA (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon) at concentration of 7670 parts per billion.)

NY State regulations state that BTEX should not exceed 5 parts per billion for drinking water but there are no limits for the PHA. While nobody will be drinking the groundwater containing these chemicals, there is continuing exposure through contact with the soil and breathing the air.

Now look up at the upper left hand side and notice that the contamination at this spot actually starts past the Public Place fence line. This diagram from the 2005 report indicates clearly that the groundwater barely 30 feet (NDA) below the surface has been heavily contaminated and actually extends onto Smith Street.

Now let us look at cross section I-I', which crosses Parcel 3 and Huntington Street, and ends across the Gowanus Canal towards 9th Street.

This is slide 310 of the GEI report from 2005.

Analysis of soil borings taken at this location also indicates the presence of coal tar staining, sheen and odors. The BTEX soil concentration here is 79 parts per million, the PHA concentration is 482 per million.

Once again, notice on the top part of this diagram, that the toxins have been found outside of Parcel 3, underneath Smith Street.

Approximate spot where evidence of coal tar was present on Smith Street on the I-I' cross section 

Mary Star Of The Sea Playground just steps away

The most interesting part of the report concerns cross section G-G', 

which starts on Parcel IV along 4th Street.

It is not currently being remediated by National Grid, though it is part of the former MGP site and is also contaminated. The parcel is occupied by a bus depot at the moment, and the community has been told it will be cleaned at a later time.

However, if you follow the G-G' cross section, you notice that there are actually pockets of toxic material right underneath the buildings between Hoyt Street and Bond Street.

Cross section G-G'. Slide 309 of the 2005 report.

One can clearly see the pockets of contamination in the soil and ground water underneath those buildings, especially the brick building on 4th Street nearest to Bond Street.

Buildings on south side of 4th Street between Hoyt and Bond Street, which show 

evidence of contamination along the G-G' cross section

The 2005 Final Remedial Report for Public Place indicates widespread pockets of coal tar on all four parcels. The remedial work currently being done on Parcel I, II and III by National Grid under NYS DEC supervision only removes 2 feet of soil across those parcels, and only digs down to a maximum depth of 22 feet on Parcel 1, where the remaining subsurface structures of the former gas holders need to be removed anyway.

The report also shows that the contamination has migrated outside the boundaries of all four parcels.

It is important here to indicate that the beginning and the end of each cross section along which the soil and the ground water was tested, was strictly arbitrary. If, for example, line I-I' had extended further across Smith Street and testing had been done closer to Nelson Street, it may have shown contamination under St. Mary's Playground or, one shudders to think, under some of the homes, perhaps.

It may not have been in the interest of National Grid to find out if that is the case. However, as the lead agency overseeing the Public Place remediation, one wonders why NYS DEC did not insist on more testing, more mitigation and more barriers to prevent the contaminants from migrating outside of the site.. After all, the documents referred to above have been available since 2005.

Why is all of this so relevant?

The pollution at Public Place and the gasses they emit are dangerous to human health. Despite this knowledge, Mayor de Blasio and Councilmember Brad Lander envision Gowanus Green, a 29 story development project with 950 affordable housing units and a school on a section of Public Place that is City owned (Parcels 1 and 2). More housing is planned on the privately owned parcel 3.

As a community, we need to insist that independent testing along a wider radius of Public Place is performed. We must insure that the coal tar is not present under other adjacent buildings.

At the very least, we need to insist that no housing be built right on top of the source of the contamination on Public Place.

We are dealing with people's lives and cannot have National Grid nor NYS DEC take any shortcuts. This community has already been exposed to the harmful effects of this contamination for more than a century.

Let's organize and fight together to get the environmental clean-up we deserve and are entitled to by law.

Related reading:

National Grid's online repository for the Citizen's Gas Site documents.

2005 Final Remedial Investigation for Public Place

Pardon Me For Asking: False Claims And Questionable Oversight: Why NY State DEC Cannot Be Trusted To Supervise National Grid's Clean-Up At Public Place

Near Coasts, Rising Seas Could Also Push Up Long-Buried Toxic Contamination, NPR

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False Claims And Questionable Oversight: Why NY State DEC Cannot Be Trusted To Supervise National Grid's Clean-Up At Public Place

Public Place, the almost 11 acre swath of land bordered by the canal and Smith Street and 5th Street and Huntington Street in Carroll Gardens has been mentioned frequently in the news of late and for good reasons.
Public Place may be one of the most polluted sites in New York State and there are grave concerns that it may never be fully cleaned up despite current remediation efforts.

Despite these circumstances, Mayor de Blasio and Councilmember Brad Lander envision Gowanus Green, a 29 story development project with 950 affordable housing  units and a school on a section of Public Place that is City owned (Parcels 1 and 2).  More housing is planned on the privately owned parcel 3.

Public Place site in Carroll Gardens

How did Public Place get so polluted? It is the site of the former Citizens Gas Company's Manufacturing Gas Plant,  one of three such MGPs that once operated along the Gowanus Canal.

The Citizens Gas Company began operations in the late 1860's and then passed into the ownership of Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG) in 1895, which demolished the plant in the 1960's, when the MGP ceased operation.  In subsequent years, BUG was merged with Keyspan, which was then acquired by National Grid in 2007.

An arial view of the Citizens Gas Work site in 1926

What is left behind 160 years later is poisoned land. Coal tar, a highly toxic and carcinogenic by-product of the gasification process, has been allowed to migrate freely through the site and into the Gowanus Canal.   On Public Place, the deepest tar observed extended to approximately 153 feet below the ground surface.

According to a Remediation Investigation Report from 2005 by environmental consultant firm GEI,  "groundwater moving through the areas of tar-saturated soil and residual tar will dissolve the BTEX components and light molecular weight PAHs (e.g., naphthalene). The resultant groundwater plume will migrate in the direction of groundwater flow. "

The study also revealed that in some spots, soil vapor contained elevated levels of benzene, toluene, and xylenes. 

Finally, after decades of exposing local residents to this toxicity, the site is currently being remediated by National Grid under the supervision of New York State's Department Of Environmental Conservation through the state's Brownfield program.
However, the remediation can hardly be called a clean-up. It would be more appropriate to call it a containment, since most of the coal tar will forever remain deep in the native soil.ƒ

Just recently, the Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus community learned that DEC had allowed National Grid to significantly alter and degrade the remediation, sparking concerns that future residents would be exposed to the remaining contamination.

At a December 2020, Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Committee meeting, members addressed this issue and proposed a resolution asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and comment on DEC's changes to the remediation of Public Place. The resolution passed overwhelmingly.

Christos Tsiamis, EPA's project manager for the Gowanus Canal Superfund, was in attendance at the December meeting.  Tsiamis, who holds a master's degree in chemical engineering from Columbia University, is very familiar with the issues at Public Place, since coal tar from the site is a major source of pollution in the Gowanus Canal. 

The EPA is very protective of their Superfund clean-ups, so that any site, like Public Place, which has the potential of recontaminating the canal, is rigorously scrutinized.

Christos Tsiamis, the EPA Senior Project Manager for the Gowanus Canal Superfund

(on right)

Since Tsiamis has been studying the contamination of the canal and the uplands since 2009,  he is in a unique position to compare the original mandated clean-up plan to the new downgraded one. 

He expressed concerns that the current DEC supervised remediation actions will not be sufficient. In particular, he mentioned three key aspects that were included in a 2007 design report, but subsequently eliminated when the plan was finalized in 2017-2018.

- the installation of a High Density, heavy plastic liner 2 feet below grade throughout the site as storm water management to prevent rain water absorption, which could dislodge the deeper, remaining pockets of coal tar.  

- two water treatment systems to clean the rainwater from the site so it can can be discharged back directly into the Gowanus Canal

-two 'wings' or wall extensions along 5th Street and Huntington Street to prevent coal tar from oozing out of the site onto nearby sites.

Though members of the Gowanus Superfund CAG appreciated and thanked Tsiamis for his honesty and for sharing his expertise, NYS DEC demanded a retraction from EPA.
Mere days after the CAG meeting, DEC director Michael J. Ryan called Tsiamis' comments "flippant, unsubstantiated statements" and "not only inappropriate but dangerous" in a letter sent to EPA

Ryan claimed that Tsiamis:
• Incorrectly stated that the 2007 remedy required an impermeable cover two feet below grade to prevent infiltration;
• Incorrectly stated that the 2007 remedy required two water treatment systems to treat rainwater;
• Incorrectly stated that the 2007 remedy required “wing walls” along 5th Street and Huntington Street to prevent coal tar migration.

Luckily, one does not have to look far to prove Tsiamis right and the DEC wrong.

A deep dive into National Grid's online documents repository and into PMFA's own reporting revealed these facts:

-In August 2011,  a National Grid team presented their remedial design for the MGP site to Community Board 6. The team stated:

“The proposed remediation calls for the removal of the top 8 feet of soil throughout the site, which will be backfilled with clean soil to street level.
"As part of storm water management and to prevent ground water from leaking into the canal, a High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner will be installed 2 feet below grade throughout.”

Portions of the meeting were videotaped by PMFA and can be seen here.

slide from a 2011 National Grid presentation to Community Board 6

-The need for water treatment systems was incorporated in a 2007 National Grid Final Remedial Design Work Plan, which NYS DEC signed off on as part of the 50 % Remedial Design Approval.

In-Situ Groundwater Treatment (Section 5.4.3)

Based on the results of the hydrologic model and the final subsurface containment barrier wall configuration, groundwater treatment may be required to address shallow dissolved phased contamination at the site boundaries. As described in Section 5.2.2 above, in the shallow zone, installation of a barrier wall could exacerbate the natural mounding that occurs between Parcels I and II. If the configuration of the barrier wall cannot be adjusted to mitigate these effects then the mounded groundwater will have to be allowed to migrate through or around the containment barrier via perforated sections or treatment windows. In the event that this is necessary, various groundwater treatment technologies will be evaluated and an applicable technology selected. The results of this evaluation will be presented to NYSDEC for review and approval. If bench scale or pilot testing of the groundwater treatment technology is necessary, then an additional work plan will be developed and submitted to NYSDEC for review and approval. 

Since the EPA had observed that coal tar had migrated off the site on Huntington Street, the 2007 plan did call for “Wing walls” along 5th Street and Huntington Street to prevent further migration.  The wings were still part of the plan in this July 2011 work plan document which National Grid submitted to DEC for review and approval to perform a remedial design pilot test program "to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of barrier wall technologies at the site."

As can be clearly seen in the red outline in Figure 1 included in the report, the barrier wall was designed to partially extend along 5th Street and halfway along Huntington Street. 

2011 National Grid document showing 'wing walls' along 5th Street and Huntington Street 

to prevent coal tar from migrating off site

When it comes to the environmental clean-up of our community after more than a century and a half of exposure to carcinogens, we need to make sure that it is done to the highest remediation standards we are entitled to by law.

It seems, by its actions and false claims, New York State intends to be more protective of National Grid, the polluter, than of the interests of local residents.

The State agency has not only allowed National Grid to reduce the level of remediation on Public Place, it has also covered up the fact that it helped remove some key aspects of the clean-up such as a vapor barrier and wing walls, specifically put in place to reduce the likelihood that coal tar will migrate out of the site.

NYS DEC is trying to rewrite its own documented history and is playing politics when it asks for Christos Tsiamis of EPA to retract his statements.  It is displaying contempt for public safety when it disparaged his concerns about the remediation.

Facts and science are the only things that should matter when it comes to public health.  

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Important: NYS DEC Just Released Proposed Remediation Plan For Former Fulton Municipal Works Site. Why You Should Care.

1928 photo of the former Fulton Municipal Works MGP site at Douglass Street, 

where Thomas Greene Park is now

Original Sandborne map of the MGP . Green line indicates site of the entire plant

Detail of what is now Thomas Greene Park

Double D pool at Douglas Greene Park

This past Friday, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released its proposed Environmental Remediation plan for the former Fulton Municipal Works Site near Douglass Street. DEC is asking the public to submit its comments on the plan by May 3rd, 2015 and will be holding a public meeting in regards to the clean-up on April 16th at 7 PM.

Why is this important to the Community?
The Fulton Municipal Works Site was one of three Manufacturing Gas Plants (MGP) operated by Brooklyn Union Gas on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. Coal and petroleum products were turned into flammable gas on these MGP sites. The gas was used for cooking, lighting, heating and commercial purposes in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, one of the by-products of this gasification process is coal tar, a black viscous liquid, which is harmful to the environment
The Fulton Site was in operation from 1879 to 1929. After it was decommissioned by Brooklyn Union Gas, it was never remediated. Eventually, Douglas Greene Park and the pool at Douglass Street were constructed over the former plant.
Today, the land underneath the park is still heavily contaminated with coal tar. Most of the contamination can be found in the area around and underneath the pool.

The responsibility for the clean-up falls on National, Grid, which bought Brooklyn Union Gas/Keyspan in 2006, The work will be done under the supervision of NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Since some of the coal tar has been found to ooze from the site into the Gowanus Canal, the US Environmental Protection Agency, which declared the canal a Superfund site in 2010, is also involved.

EPA has named National Grid a Potential Responsible Party [PRP], which means that the company has to financially contribute to the Gowanus Canal clean-up.
It is important for National Grid to move forward with the remediation at the Fulton site to make sure that the coal tar present there does not continue to flow towards the Gowanus Canal and  re-contaminate it once it has been cleaned.

Why DEC's Proposed Remediation Plan does not seem to go far enough

According to DEC's announcement on the cleanup,  "the primary components of the remedy are the construction of a sealed wall along the western shoreline of the Gowanus Canal and the removal of any coal tar that accumulates behind it. 
And further,Contamination at Thomas Greene Park is well below ground and site structures that prevent public exposure."

Yes, you read that right. After ignoring the contamination for decades, the DEC is proposing to the community to build a wall along Nevins Street that would cut off the coal tar from flowing towards the canal. Any coal tar that accumulates behind that wall will be pumped out.

This  basically creates a barrier for the coal tar, but  it certainly does not seem to address in any significant way the contamination that will likey remain underneath the pool.  

DEC is basically asking the community to continue to live with the pollution, while they are allowing National Grid to kick the problem down the road.

Why would DEC ask the community to settle for less than what it is owed?

One can only guess why DEC would let National Grid get away with doing the least that they can do.

Perhaps, this is more about DEC covering New York City's back?

Bear with me.

In September 2013, the EPA issued its Record of Decision (ROD), which represents the finalized cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal. In the ROD, EPA included the construction of two retention basins near two of the major outflows to significantly reduce the amount of Combined Sewage material that goes into the canal when it rains. 

The City of New York, as a PRP, has to pay for the tanks, a financial responsibility which it has not assumed gladly.

The EPA has suggested constructing the larger 8-million gallon tank underneath the pool at Douglass Green Park. The agency reasoned that the land was already owned by the City. Besides, the largest outflow, which is responsible for much of the raw sewage into the Gowanus, is at the head of the canal  at Douglass Street, near the park.
The EPA has told the community that the extend of the work to be done to remove the coal tar from the site may include digging up the pool. This could save the City money since installing the larger retention tank could potentially have been combined with National Grid's work.

Which brings us back to NYS DEC's  Proposed Remediation Plan for the Fulton Municipal Works Site.  Does DEC truly think that a wall and a couple of collection wells is enough to clean the site of coal tar? Can DEc really think the community is so gullible?

Somehow I can't shake the feeling that DEC is trying to cover for New York City.

Doesn't it seem strange that the DEC seems intent on giving New York City quite a disproportionate amount of space in its Friday statement, which reads in part:

"The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) recently completed an upgrade to the Gowanus sewage pumping station and is implementing green infrastructure projects that, together, reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges to the Canal by 44 percent. NYC DEP reconstructed and activated the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel, which now circulates over 250 million gallons of higher quality harbor water through the Canal each day, leading to dramatic improvement in water quality. NYC DEP is also developing a CSO Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to integrate both Clean Water and Superfund goals for the Canal. The LTCP, which DEP must submit to DEC for review in June, will identify actions to further reduce CSO discharges and improve water quality in the Canal."

I don't l know about you, but DEC seems to be more aligned with the City than with the EPA.

Which is troublesome. Both DEC and DEP have had decades to clean the Gowanus Canal. Neither one of them obviously cared enough about the community or its health to do so.

The EPA seems to be the only agency that consistently advocates for the best, most comprehensive environmental clean-up for the people of Gowanus.

Let us hope that the EPA will continue to show DEC and DEP how its done.


Please join me at the DEC meeting on April 16th to learn more about this.


Below please find DEC's full press release on this action:

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Remediation Plan 

for Site Adjacent to Gowanus Canal

Proposed Plan Would Clean Up Contamination at Fulton Municipal Works Site in Brooklyn

Public Meeting Scheduled for April 16; Comments Accepted through May 3

The public is invited to submit comments on a Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) to clean up contamination at the former Fulton Municipal Works site, adjacent to the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. DEC will also host a public meeting on the proposed cleanup of the former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site on April 16, at 7 p.m. at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center meeting room, 280 Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn.
The PRAP announced today applies to Operable Unit 1 (OU1) at the site, which includes the property on which the former MGP was located and neighboring properties where contamination is present east of the Gowanus Canal. The site is a principal source of contaminants to sediments in the upper Gowanus Canal. In addition, remedial investigations determined that coal tar from MGP operations at the site has spread in soils below the surface, including under a portion of Thomas Greene Park.
"The cleanup of the Gowanus Canal and adjacent properties is a collaborative effort among state, federal and city government and the private sector, to address sources of the contamination affecting the canal and nearby properties," DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said. "This is another vital step to clean up the site and protect the canal, while minimizing disruptions to current community uses of these areas."
The April 16 public meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions about the proposed cleanup plan and provide comments. Written comments will also be accepted via mail or email until May 3. Comments may be submitted to:
Henry Willems
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Environmental Remediation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
henry.willems@dec.ny.gov
The proposed cleanup plan would accommodate current site uses and future redevelopment, and also aligns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) remediation efforts to prevent recontamination of Gowanus Canal. National Grid, which formerly owned the site, will implement and pay for the cleanup. The primary components of the remedy are the construction of a sealed wall along the western shoreline of the Gowanus Canal and the removal of any coal tar that accumulates behind it. Excavation activities would occur in phases as properties are redeveloped and will not require closures or relocation of occupants or current site uses. Contamination at Thomas Greene Park is well below ground and site structures that prevent public exposure.
The PRAP is part of a multi-tiered approach DEC has taken to help clean up the Gowanus Canal and adjacent parcels. Under a Consent Order with DEC, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) recently completed an upgrade to the Gowanus sewage pumping station and is implementing green infrastructure projects that, together, reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges to the Canal by 44 percent. NYC DEP reconstructed and activated the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel, which now circulates over 250 million gallons of higher quality harbor water through the Canal each day, leading to dramatic improvement in water quality. NYC DEP is also developing a CSO Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to integrate both Clean Water and Superfund goals for the Canal. The LTCP, which DEP must submit to DEC for review in June, will identify actions to further reduce CSO discharges and improve water quality in the Canal.

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A Walk Around The Former Citizens Gas Works MGP Site With National Grid

Coal tar recovery well on the site

It's not every day that one gets to tour the gated former Citizens Gas Works MGP site in Carroll Gardens.  So when representatives of National Grid offered to take members of the Epa's Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Committee (CAG) for a walk around the vast track of land, located between Smith Street and the Gowanus Canal, I immediately signed up.  The tour allowed Andrew Prophete, project manager for National Grid, and his colleagues to go over the proposed remedial design for the heavily polluted land and for CAG members to get a better understanding of the clean-up effort. 
As many in the neighborhood know, the fenced-in site became home to the Citizens Gas Light Company's 12th Ward Gas Work plant in the 1820's. The plant turned coal and petroleum products into flammable gas for the surrounding neighborhood. Citizen later sold to Brooklyn Union Gas, which became Keyspan, which is now National Grid.
The plant was decommissioned in the early 1960's. What was left behind was contamination, mostly in the form of coal tar, a brownish, oily substance that over time seeps deep into the ground.The results of the Remediation Investigation for the Citizens Gas Works MGP site showed significant amounts of coal tar in depths up to 150 feet. 

The responsibility for the clean-up falls on National Grid under the supervision of NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.  To date, 50% of National Grid's remedial design has been approved by DEC.  Since the coal tar plume on the site is so large, National Grid has already installed coal tar recovery wells in advance of the actual clean-up.  From the beginning of 2011 till now, 8,000 gallons have been recovered.  Regularly, the coal tar is removed and temporarily stored in yellow drums, before it is carted to a licensed disposal facility where it is recycled into asphalt and roofing tar or burned into inert material.

These recovery wells will stay on the site for years if not decades.  The deepest pockets of coal tar will most probably remain on the site forever.

The coal tar  and contaminated ground water has also been oozing into the Gowanus Canal from this site for decades. Because of the pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency has named National Grid one of the Primary Responsible Parties (PRPs) when the Gowanus became a Superfund site.  By far the most complex part of this MGPs site clean-up plan involves a 50 foot sheet pile construction wall along the canal side, which will serve as a barrier to prevent the lateral movement of the contaminants into the waterway.  Made of marine grade steel,  sections of this barrier wall will be vibrated into the ground and the joints will be heavily reinforced with special epoxies.

The rebuilding and relocation of a section of the Bond Street sewer line that traverses the site,  storm water and ground water management, the removal of the old holding tanks and grading of the terrain further complicate an already complex remedial design.

Of course, only time will tell if the remediation for the former Citizens Gas Works MGP site will ultimately be successful in addressing all these complexities.  I, for one, shudder when I hear that the city of New York has slated Parcel I and II (see map above) for residential development.  Sure, Gowanus Green, as the 774-unit community and retail project it ironically called, will include a large number of affordable for-sale and rental units, but can anyone ever be 100% sure that future residents will be safe?

So far, our local electeds are still behind the housing plan. Of course, one wonders how confident they would feel if their loved ones moved to Gowanus Green. Just saying....

I would like to thank National Grid for the opportunity to tour the site.   Thank you also for the information on the map below, showing the result of soil boring on Former MGP site and surrounding area.

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Last Night At The Gowanus Canal CAG General Meeting

Gowanus Canal CAG Facilitator Jeff Edelstein

 Gardiner Cross of NYS Department Of  Environmental Conservation (DEC) 

New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery

Councilman Steven Levin

Last night's Environmental Protection Agency's Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) gathered at the Brooklyn Historical Society for its monthly meeting. The evening's agenda included updates on the ongoing work done by the various CAG committees. 

-The Archeology Committee is planning a historic walking tour of the Gowanus Canal with EPA's Archeologist John Vetter this Friday. The tour will include such historically significant structures as the Coignet Stone building, the Carroll Street bridge, and the former site of Brouwer's Mill built in 1652. (I am taking part in the tour and will post about it afterwards.)

-The Water Quality and Technical Committees reported on a meeting they held recently with EPA's engineer for the Gowanus Canal, Christos Tsiamis.  The agency is planning to release its Feasibility study for the Gowanus Canal clean-up in December.

-Water Quality and Technical also reported about the presentation National Grid and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation gave to them last month regarding the proposed remediation at the heavily polluted former Citizens Gas Works MGP site on Smith Street between 5th Street and Huntington Street. 

At last night's meeting,  DEC's Gardiner Cross was asked to clarify some aspects of the clean-up plan. In particular, there was a concern about why the High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner, which is meant to help manage storm water, is supposedly going to be installed 2 feet below grade on the site.  Surely, some CAG members argued, it would make more sense to install the liner deeper, especially if the City plans to build on the site. It would seem that the liner could easily be compromised by any digging on the site .  Cross promised that he will look into the possibility and will get back to the CAG with an answer. 

For further information on the remediation of the site, go to www.citizensmgpsite.com.

NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Councilman Steve Levin attended last night's meeting, as did representatives of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez,  State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and Councilman Brad Lander.

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Gowanus CAG Off To A Good Start After First Meeting Last Night

Gowanus CAG's Neutral facilitator Jeffrey Edelstein with EPA's Walter Mugdan

Walter Mugdan during his presentation

Lucy De Carlo of CORD and Marlene Donnelly of FROGG

On Tuesday night, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) met for the very first time at the Old American Can Factory at 232 Third Street to lay the groundwork on how to structure the CAG, how to work together and how to best exchange information amongst its 57 members, the local community,  the Environmental Protection Agency and other pertinent government agencies involved in the clean-up of the extremely polluted  Gowanus Canal. Jeffrey Edelstein, the Neutral Facilitator who had been chosen by the communities impacted by the Superfund site in May, asked the CAG members to briefly introduce themselves and their affiliation.  Commenting on the unusually large size of this diverse group, Edelstein said: "Well, this is Brooklyn.  This is a unique situation."  He then asked Walter Mugdan, Director of the Superfund Program for the US Department for Environmental Protection's Region 2, to give an overview and update on the progress made.  

Walter Mugdan explained that there are three characteristic concerns about the Gowanus Canal.  First, the environmental concern for the polluted land surrounding the canal, secondly, concern for the water quality in the Gowanus and thirdly, the mud or sediment at the bottom of the waterway.  The Gowanus Canal was placed on the EPA's National Superfund Site list because of this highly toxic sediment. 

The water quality and land remediation, however, are the responsibility of New York State's Department Of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  The  NYS DEC had asked the federal Government to step in to deal with the sediment.

"We have a work sharing arrangement with DEC." Mr. Mugdan said." All these jobs need to be done."

Mr. Mugdan then went on to explain the clean-up process. (see chart on top)

The first step, the Remedial Investigation (RI), an assessment of the nature and extent of the contamination as well as the associated health and environmental risks, has been completed ahead of time. Walter Mugdan praised Christos Tsiamis, EPA's Region Two Project Manager in charge of the Gowanus Canal.  "Christos has done the most amazing job to move the work at a much quicker pace."  A report draft will be released by December 31st, 2010.

The next step in the process is to complete a Feasability Study (FS), a determination of the treatability and development of clean-up alternatives for the site. Mugdan expects the Feasbility Study to be done in draft by the end of 2011.

A proposed clean-up plan, which identifies a preferred remedial alternative for the site will most probably ready by 2012, at which time the community will have 60 days to comment.

"If I were a betting man, I would bet that we will be dredging a lot of muck out of the canal" Mr. Mugdan said.

Mugdan estimates the entire process to take about 10 to 12 years. "We will be together for a long, long time" he told members of the CAG.

After his presentation, Mr. Mugdan took questions from both the CAG members and the audience.  One important issue, the relationship between the EPA, the DEC and the New York City Department Of Environmental Protection (DEP), came up a few times.  There was concern about the contamination from the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSOs) into the Gowanus Canal.  Though the DEP is currently working on improving the system, the work will only reduce the CSOs by 34% at most.   Asked if the EPA would consider taking over the remediation of the water quality since the DEP's plan will not even come close to meeting the criteria of the Clean Water Act, Walter Mugdan answered that right now, his agency does not feel that it is necessary though he acknowledged that the DEP's plan is not a total solution.  "There is always a chance. We have the authority to do so."

Asked if the Gowanus Canal will ever be "swimmable and fishable", Mugdan shook his head. "Not in our lifetime, but the risks can be significantly reduced."

***Please also take the time to read Found in Brooklyn's excellent post on last nights meeting:  Gowanus News: First C.A.G Meeting Recap.

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