Exciting Day For Gowanus: EPA Starts Debris Removal Pilot Project At 4th Street Basin

Natalie Loney of EPA Region 2 at an press conference earlier today

"It's an exciting day"

Marlene Donnelly of Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus and member of the EPA Gowanus Canal CAG  talking to the press

Today marks an important moment and a giant step forward in the clean-up of the Gowanus Canal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just starting the debris removal Pilot Project at the 4th Street Turning Basin located at the intersection of 4th Street and 3rd Avenue next to the Gowanus Whole Foods.

Over the next several weeks, environmental remediation and dredging contractor Sevenson will be clearing obstructions from the basin that prevent navigational access, Two huge barges and a giant crane have already been moved into position for that purpose. Prior to removal, a map of underwater debris was created using sonar technology. By far the largest piece of debris is a sunken boat hull, a smaller metal boat, and a yet unidentified rectangular feature that may be related to a collapsed bulkhead.

The EPA also expects to find lots of urban debris like old tires.

All will be removed and assessed at a staging area near the 7th Street Basin close to Huntington Street. It will then be transported out of the area via barge to appropriate recycling or waste facilities.

To make sure that the workers and the community stay safe during the debris removal, water monitoring as well as odor control will be put in place. Air monitors have been installed a few days ago, according to the EPA, to establish a baseline.

The EPA will use this pilot program to "evaluate different equipment types to efficiently remove debris and to evaluate processes for managing debris" and will help to "fine tune the different techniques that will eventually be applied to the entire canal."

The second phase of the 4th Street Basin Pilot will include dredging and capping which will take place in 2017. The results of that work will also inform the EPA on how best to dredge the entire length of the canal at a later time

The EPA will stay in close communication with the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group and will report on the results once they have been assessed.

The Community Advisory Group's next meeting will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24th at 6:30 pm at Mary Star of The Sea Senior Houses last 41 First Street.

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Notes On Congresswoman Velázquez's Informational Meeting With EPA, DEP And NYCHA At Wyckoff Gardens

Last Night at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

Walter Mugdan, Superfund Division Director, US EPA, Region 2

Natalie Loney. EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator

Councilmember Brad Lander

Eric Landau, Associate Commissioner, Public Affairs at 

NYC Department of Environmental Protection

Luis Ponce, NYCHA Vice President of Operations

Joe Ann Brown, representative of Warren Street Houses' tenant association

NYCHA resident asking about a job training institute as part of Superfund clean-up 

Gowanus NYCHA resident asking for help in getting his car replaced after Hurricane Sandy

Congresswoman Nydia Velézquez hosted an informational meeting at Wyckoff Gardens Community Center last night with representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York City Department of Environmental Protection and of New York City Housing Department (NYCHA).

The meeting was meant to engage low-income housing residents in the Gowanus Superfund process, as well as to give residents of Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens, who were particularly hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, the opportunity to address issues of flooding and aging infrastructure. In particular, representatives of both apartment complexes have repeatedly complained of raw sewage in their basement and and gurgling out of their kitchen and bathroom sinks and tubs.

"Since the beginning of this process," the congresswoman told the community,  "one of the top priorities of mine, as well as the other elected officials, has been to assure community involvement and input, and I must say that EPA, under the leadership of Judith Enck, has kept this in mind throughout.  That is why the inclusive process implemented by EPA has resulted in a better strategy. Going forward, we must continue to insure that the public is familiar and comfortable with how the canal is remediated. That is why it is not only important to have the meetings with the Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group, but also to bring some of the meetings here. I need and I want to see more participation  from Public Housing residents."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 was represented by Walter Mugdan, Superfund Division Director and by Natalie Loney, Community Involvement Coordinator.

Mr. Mugdan reminded the community that it has been exactly one year since the EPA issued its Record of Decision (ROD), which represents the finalized cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal. He explained that there are two major components to the Superfund clean-up. The first component consists of dredging the heavily contaminated mud at the bottom of the canal and to carefully managed the material and to ship it to authorized, appropriate disposal locations outside of the New York area. In addition, the deeper contaminated soil that can not be removed will be capped to isolate it from the water and from aquatic life.

The second component relates to preventing raw sewage overflow from recontaminating the canal after it is dredged. In the ROD, the EPA is ordering City of New York to site two retention tanks near two major outflows, RH-034 at the top of the canal and  OH-007 near the 5th Street turning basin.
"We have determined in our decision, that there will have to be a significant reduction in the amount of Combined Sewage material that goes into the canal when it rains.  In order to build the tanks that will be necessary to capture the extra sewage rainwater,  the City of New York, which is responsible for doing this, will have to find a location for these tanks."

Natalie Loney gave an in depth presentation on how the Superfund program works and where in the process the Gowanus Canal Superfund stands today. [ You can access a video of Ms. Loney giving a similar presentation at TedX Gowanus here.]

Eric Landau, Associate Commissioner, Public Affairs at NYC Department of Environmental Protection  spoke about the 'many things that are going on in Gowanus.
"There is a lot that DEP is involved in here in Gowanus currently," he said.  DEP is in the process of installing High Level Storm sewers, "which will help with the flooding and will have a CSO benefit."  The City, with New York States Department of Environmental Conservation,  'is working on reducing CSOs in the canal" by putting together a long term control plan.

In addition, DEP is installing Green infrastructure elements like bioswales to capture rain water so that it does not get mixed with sewer water.

Last month, the DEP submitted to EPA two potential locations for each of the two CSO retention tanks mandated by the Record of Decision.  

For the retention basin at the head of the canal, near Outfall RH-034,  DEP has suggested Thomas Greene Park, a public park.  The second proposed location is made up of three privately owned lots across the street on Nevins Street between Butler, De Graw and Sackett Street.

For Outfall Number OH-007, DEP has identified the  City-owned Salt Lot at Second Avenue at the edge of the canal.  The second location is located between the canal and 5th Street.

"This is a long process.  From this point to when we get back to EPA and the community with the one site [for each tank] that we think makes the most sense, it is the end of June [2015]. From now till June, there are still a lot of things that need to be looked at, including cost and how the community feels about the various locations.  We are very well aware of how the community feels about the Thomas Greene Playground.  We definitely heard that and we take this very seriously. That is also why it is our second rank site according to our criteria."

What Landau failed to mention is that Thomas Greene Park is publicly owned already,  whereas the alternative site for Outfall RH-034 across the street is privately owned and would need to be purchased, presumably by means of Eminent Domain.  The businesses currently operating on the land would need to be relocated.
All that would cost time. legal expenses and money to purchase the land.  Considering that on its website , DEP states that it "believes that the cost of the tanks would be five to ten times higher than EPA has estimated", it is hard to believe that the agency would rank the privately owned site higher than a site that it already owns.

Landau also failed to mention that Thomas Greene Park sits on top of a former Manufacturing Gas site for which New York DEC is currently finalizing an environmental remediation plan under the State Brownfield Program.  The coal tar that currently sits under the park and the pool will most likely have to be dug up anyway, which means that placing the retention tank there could save additional money.

Finally, Luis Ponce, NYC Housing Authority's Vice President of Operations, was able to address the sewer back up issue that were foremost on the minds of most Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens residents who came out last night.
Ponce explained that since receiving the complaints, NYCHA had determined that the problem was  the result of stoppage within the buildings'  waste pipes, most probably caused by grease being poured into the kitchen drains.  The catch basins had been cleaned out and the situation resolved.
"This is definitely a NYCHA issue, not a Gowanus Canal issue," Ponce stated.

1928 photo of the former MGP site at Douglass Street, where Thomas Greene Park is now

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Now The Clean-Up Is The Law: EPA Region 2 Gowanus Superfund Team Updates Community Advisory Group

Christos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal

Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 lawyer with Christos Tsiamis

Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator, and Christos Tsiamis

New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery

Doug Sarno, EPA Gowanus Community Advisory Group facilitator

On Tuesday evening, the  Environmental Protection Agency Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) gathered at Mary Star Of The Sea Senior Center for its regular monthly meeting.  It was the first meeting since the release of the EPA's Record Of Decision (ROD) on September 30th, 2013.

The signing of the document was a gigantic leap forward in the Superfund process.
The ROD not only represents the blue print for the final decision on how to clean the heavily polluted 1.8 mile long Gowanus Canal, it makes this clean-up "the law of the land."

The EPA Region 2 Gowanus Superfund team was present at Tueday's meeting to let the community know "where we are and where we are going" from this point forward.

Natalie Loney,  EPA Region 2's Community Involvement Coordinator, indicated that the agency will hold two informal community meetings in early November to talk about the ROD. Dates and locations will be announce shortly.

Christos Tsiamis, EPA's Project Manager for the Gowanus Canal, spoke in depth about timeline, process for the remediation and the ROD. 

The clean-up calls for the removal of the contaminated soft sediment at the bottom of the canal that has accumulated during a century and a half of industrial use.  The material will be shipped to an off-site facility and will be disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner.

Since isolated contamination will remain even after dredging, several layers of capping material will be applied over the native sediment. This will prevent the remaining contamination to come in contact with aquatic life.

In addition, the 450 foot long First Street Turning Basin will be restored, dredging and capped in the same manner.

The ROD puts in place several controls to insure that the canal will not be re-contaminated after remediation.
One control involves the Combined Sewer Oveflows at the head of the canal.  Two retention tanks will be installed to capture the discharges from these CSOs during heavy rains.  The waste water will be pumped out again as soon as capacity at the local treatment plant is restored, 

The EPA will also make sure that the remedy will not be impacted by the coal tar from three former Manufacturing Gas Plant (MGP) sites.  The Metropolitan site, the  Fulton site,  and the Citizen's site (a.k.a. Public Place) will be remediated by National Grid under the supervision of NY State Department of Environmental Conservation.  EPA will work closely with them.

The next three years will be dedicated to designing the remedy, but the EPA is anticipating doing some work in the canal by this spring.  The final phase, the actual remediation, will take about 6 years.

On the legal front,  Brian Carr, EPA Region 2's lawyer, stated that Notices Of Liability have been sent out to the Responsible Parties, who will have to pay for polluting the canal.

When asked what will happen if the polluters do not pay, Carr stated: "We continue to hope for cooperation." He did make clear, however,  that non-complience would lead to serious monetary fines.

Christos Tsiamis added:  "The ROD is a final decision.  It is the law.  It will be followed."

New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery stopped by the meeting briefly and addressed the CAG. " There is a lot of community involvement taking place here. I am honored to see it with my own eyes."

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A Monumental Day For Gowanus: EPA Releases Its Finalized Plan To Clean Up the Gowanus Canal Superfund Site

A copy of the Record Of Decision for the Gowanus Canal Superfund

(with various signatures from EPA embers and members of the community)

EPA Regional Manager Judith Enck

Christos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal, Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 lawyer, and Walter Mugdan, EPA Region 2's Director of the Division of Environmental Planning and Protection

Brian Carr, Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator, and Christos Tsiamis

Elected officials

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

Assemblywoman Joan Millman

Borough President Marty Markowitz

Councilmember Brad Lander

Lizzie Olesker, Gowanus Canal Community Advisory member who read a statement for the CAG

Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group

This is a historical day for Gowanus. After 150 years of environmental abuse, which turned it into one of the most contaminated bodies of water, there is a plan to remediate the 1.8 mile toxic canal, and that plan has just been written into law.
As promised, and keeping with their initial timeline, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)just released the signed Record Of Decision (ROD) for the clean-up of the Gowanus Canal Superfund.

At a press conference held on the shores of the canal this morning ,  EPA Regional Manager Judith Enck was joined by her amazing Region 2 team, which worked so tirelessly towards this moment:
Walter Mugdan, EPA Region 2's Director of the Division of Environmental Planning and Protection, Christos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal, Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 lawyer, and Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator.

The ROD represents the blue print for the remediation. The clean-up will cost $506 million, last 8 to 10 years, and will include dredging of the toxic material, caping, controls to reduce sources of contamination from uplands, as well as removal of contamination from the 1st Street Basin. Most importantly, the ROD will address and control the flow of contaminated sewage solids from the Combined Sewer Overflow. The EPA is requiring that discharges from two major outflows be captured in retention basins. This will reduce CSOs in the canal by an estimated 58 to 74%.

Enck took time to thank the community for all its input. The agency received over 1,800 comments from the public after it outlined the various clean-up methods in its Proposed Remediation Plan, which was released earlier this year.  The comments were carefully considered to chose the final remedy.
For example, the EPA decided to pass on the option of remediating the least contaminated sediment in a facility in Red Hook after residents made it clear that they would not support it.

Several members of the EPA Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) were also present this morning.  Member Lizzie Olesker read the statement below for the entire CAG.

The Gowanus Canal is the first EPA Superfund Site in Brooklyn, making the announcement of this Record of Decision (ROD) an historic event for the 2.5 million people of our borough. The much needed cleanup of the Gowanus Canal is long awaited; and this Record of Decision comes as a firm commitment to the people of Brooklyn that the contaminates of the Gowanus Canal will be removed from our dense urban environment. The CAG looks forward to a detailed review of the ROD and providing ongoing input to those elements that will impact the community moving forward. 

Formed in 2010, the mission of the Gowanus Canal CAG is to be a forum for dialogue between representatives of all segments of the community about the federal Superfund clean-up of the Gowanus Canal and other related issues of concern to the community 

This EPA Record of Decision (or ROD) is the outcome of more than 3 years of extensive meetings and discussions with the community and the Gowanus Canal CAG. The Gowanus Canal CAG is by far the largest, and most diverse community group ever formed to work with the EPA on a Superfund site. The CAG, having arrived at a number of consensus resolutions on the canal cleanup, is grateful for the opportunity and role it has had in the process leading up to this announcement of the Record of Decision. The CAG provided consensus resolutions to EPA supporting the overall scope and approach of the proposed plan, while stressing a focus on ecological restoration and honoring the historical character of the canal. 

The CAG appreciates the EPA's attentiveness to schedules and time frames in reaching this ROD. We understand that the CAG, as a community engagement tool, will take on new roles as this process unfolds. The Gowanus CAG looks forward to continuing a robust exchange with the EPA, as design plans for implementing the cleanup that is specified in the ROD moves forward in a timely manner. The CAG is committed to disseminating information about the Gowanus Canal and engaging all area stakeholders in ensuring that community issues are heard and articulated to EPA and other agencies. 

Information and a calendar of meetings for the Gowanus Canal CAG can be found at http://gowanuscag.org. The ROD will be discussed in detail at the next full meeting of the CAG on October 22, 2013.

As a resident of this community, I would like to thank the EPA Region 2 team for their dedication, their perseverance and all their hard work on our behalf.
Walter, Christos, Brian and Natalie, words can't adequately express my admiration. I hope you know what this day means to this neighborhood.

The entire Gowanus Canal Superfund Record Of Decision can be accessed here.


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At Tuesday Night's Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Meeting

Jeff Edelstein, Gowanus CAG Facilitator

Tracy Bell And Terry Thompson representing National Grid

The Environmental Protection Agency's  Community Advisory Group for the Gowanus Canal met on Tuesday night at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Natalie Loney, EPA's Community Involvement Co-Ordinator gave a brief overview of the Superfund schedule. She explained that Christos Tsiamis, Remedial Project Manager for the Gowanus Canal,
and Walter Mugdan, EPA District 2 Director,  will be presenting the Proposed Remedy for the Gowanus Canal Clean-Up to the National Remedy Review Board in Washington, D.C. the week of June 18th.

The National Remedy Review Board is "a peer review group that understands both the EPA regional and headquarters perspectives in the remedy selection process."

Generally, the Board reviews Superfund remedies that meet a certain financial threshold.  Natalie Loney explained:  "The Board wants to insure that there is consistency throughout the region.  They are looking at this project because of its size and its scope. They may ask questions or clarification, but they will not approve or disapprove the remedy.  That is not their function."   

She added: "The remedy that Region Two is presenting is technically sound.  We are very comfortable with it.  We are fully behind this proposed plan."
After the presentation to the Board, Christos Tsiamis, will have time to respond in writing to any questions raised during the meeting. Once this process is completed, Region 2 will be able to move forward with putting out the Gowanus Superfund  Remediation Plan and will most likely present it to the community at a public meeting by September.


The CAG has written its own letter to the National Review Boards.  It reads:

Dear Mr. Tsiamis and Members of the National Remedy Review Board,

A. BackgroundThe Gowanus Canal is located approximately 2 miles from Manhattan. Its watershed covers approximately 1700 acres (2.65 square miles). Based on the 2010 census, almost 150,000 people of all levels of economic stature live within the watershed. Of these, an estimated 44,000 people live within a 10 minute walk of the Canal. Further, there are many underserved families living in close proximity to the Gowanus Canal. Recent planning initiatives, including the City’s New Waterfront Revitalization Program and the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Restoration Plan support the community’s vision for increased public access, ecological restoration, and recreational use of the public waterways.

The Gowanus Canal community uses this waterway for many recreational, commercial, industrial, artistic, educational, and scientific purposes. These activities may result in ingestion of Canal water and direct and indirect contact with Canal water and sediments by adults, children, and pets. Existing on-water recreational uses such as sustenance-based fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, and diving may result in primary and secondary contact. There are 2 public access points located along the Gowanus Canal and Bay and a total of 19 locations at which public streets either cross or terminate at the canal. These street-ends are routinely flooded by canal water during rain showers under high-tide conditions. Commercial activities including barging and scientific research may also result in secondary contact.

Gowanus is emerging as a creative district that is home to many artists and artisans and is a cultural and entertainment destination for City and non-City residents and tourists. The Gowanus landscape attracts artists from around the world to use as subject matter. It is because the canal is so intensely used in such a variety of ways that it is important to ensure that public health be protected under these circumstances. As awareness is raised about the Canal, public access both to, and into, the Canal improves, and redevelopment pressures increase, more and more people will continue to take advantage of the unique on-water recreational and explorational opportunities it presents.

B. Comments
The CAG supports the selection of a comprehensive remedy that protects human and ecological health and improves water quality consistent with the current and projected future use of the Gowanus Canal. To that end, the CAG has passed the following resolution:April 2012 Sediment Resolution to EPA

The Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group fully supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its finding that New York City’s Combined Sewer Overflows are a significant contributor of harmful sediment and Superfund regulated PAHs and metals to the canal. The CAG takes the position that the total elimination of CSOs into the Gowanus Canal is the only acceptable solution to the problem.

The CAG asks that the EPA, under their Superfund authority, take the necessary measures that will ensure protection of the proposed remedy from ongoing CSO sediment solids deposits and the release of PAHs and other toxins.

In summary, the CAG believes that the Superfund cleanup represents a unique opportunity to conduct a comprehensive cleanup of the Gowanus Canal and that it would be a waste of time, money, and energy to select a remedy that does not completely prevent recontamination by CSOs.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments.

Sincerely,The Gowanus Canal Superfund Site Community Advisory Group

On Tuesday night, the CAG also passed the following resolution:

"The Gowanus CAG asks that the cleanup of the Canal, including the Superfund Remedy, should be consistent with and advance current and future possibilities for ecological restoration, shoreline softening, riparian buffers, expanded wetlands, habitat restoration, and public access pursuant to the goals of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Restoration Plan and the community's emerging vision for the waterway.We understand that some steel bulkheads may be necessary but that contiguous steel or new wooden bulkheads would not be compatible with the above stated goal."

Finally, the CAG voted and welcomed Rich Kampf and Jennivere Kenlon as full members.

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