Gowanus Canal Superfund Site
The Gowanus Canal
The Gowanus Canal can be found in New York City, New York in the borough of Brooklyn and empties into the New York Harbor. Originally, the neighborhood the canal is in was a tidal inlet of small creeks in an original saltwater marsh. It was originally inhabited by the Algonquin-speaking Delaware Native American who lived and farmed on the rich shorelines. Colonizers named it "Gowanes Creek" after chief Gowanes, leader of the local tribe of Native American Canarsees they took the land from.
- It is a 100-foot wide and 1.8-mile long canal connecting the communities of Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. The waterfront surrounding the canal is mostly concrete plants, warehouses, and parking lots.
The earliest purchasers of the Gowanus Bay were Dutch colonizers, who used slave labor to dig out the banks of the Gowanus Creek. This was followed by wealthy developers and politicians beginning the development of the modern Gowanus Canal. The canal was then constructed in the mid-1800s and was used as an industrial transportation route. The construction of the Gowanus/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway led to the lack of use for the Gowanus Canal. The loss of many industrial jobs in NYC in the mid-20th century contributed to 50% of property along the canal becoming unused. What remains is a highly polluted and toxic canal, marking the damages caused by industrial manufacturers a century prior.
Environmental Issues
The industrial transportation route that the Gowanus was originally used for in the 1800s became a hub for coal gas manufacturing plants, oil refineries, machine shops, chemical plants, a cement maker, a sulfur producer, a soap maker and a tannery. These sites were situated along the canal, with a sewage pipe that allowed for raw waste to be deposited into it. Additional sewer system overflow carrying rain water, sanitary waste, industrial pollutants also flow into the canal. By the start of the 20th century, the canal was known for its odors and polluted look, referred to by locals as "Lavender Lake."
Today, high levels of toxins have been found within the canal, due to the effects of the industrial sites over a century before
Some high-level toxins include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls
History of Clean Up
“The productive industrial history of the Gowanus neighborhood left behind a legacy of industrial contamination in the Canal and on its banks. Today, there are two major forms of pollution in the Gowanus Canal: historic industrial pollution from former industrial and manufacturing activities lining the Canal and ongoing Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) from the three square mile sewer-shed.” - The Gowanus Canal Conservancy
In the 70s, urbanism was introduced to South Broolyn leading to middle class families flocking to the neighborhoods of the Gowanus. The gentrification of the neighborhood from the influx of new residents contributed to the displacement of thousands of black families who had beforehand had long-term homes in the neighborhood. These neighborhoods continue to be faced with gentrification, with the now majority make-up of families living in Brooklyn neighborhoods are white . This urban movement brought forth renewed interest in environmental issues that continue to fuel the push for the cleanup of the Gowanus Canal to this day. These efforts from community members resulted in raw sewage no longer being flushed into the canal in 1989 due to the construction of a wastewater treatment facility in the area.
A flush pump was scheduled to be activated in 1982 according to EPA plans that would help New York’s untreated sewage that runs off into canals and rivers on rainy days, but was never fully activated and working until 1999. This pump allowed for between 200-300 million gallons of oxygenated water through the canal each day, allowing marine life to begin to re-enter the canal again.
Underlying sediment remains an issue to this day, as it had not been dredged since 1975. Between 1999 and 2002 stakeholders such as assemblywoman Joan Millman, the Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC), Governor Pataki, and Congresswoman Velasquez, the DEP and US Army Corps of Engineers allocated large sums of money that was either allocated to the Gowanus community or to the cleanup of the canal.
The canal became designated a superfund site in 2010. On December 27, 2012, EPA released a Proposed Plan describing its proposed remedy for the site. The Proposed Plan recommended removing all of the contaminated sediment that has accumulated as a result of industrial and sewer discharges from the bottom of the canal by dredging. The dredged areas would then be capped.
"In dredged areas of the Canal where contamination exists in the native sediment, multiple layers of clean material will be placed. The multilayer cap will consist of an “active” layer made of a specific type of clay that will remove contamination that could well up from below, an “isolation” layer of sand and gravel that will ensure that the contaminants are not exposed, and an “armor” layer of heavier gravel and stone to prevent erosion of the underlying layers from boat traffic and canal currents." - 2013 EPA Proposal
A community members look at the beginning process of dredging the Gowanus Canal
"Finally, sufficient clean sand will be placed on top of the “armor” layer to fill in the voids between the stones and to establish sufficient depth in order to restore the canal bottom as a habitat. In the middle and upper segments of the Canal where the native sediment is contaminated with coal tar, the sediment will be stabilized by mixing it with concrete or similar materials. The stabilized areas will then be covered with the multiple layer cap as described above.” - 2013 EPA Proposal
Negative Impacts of Coal Tar
The EPA issued an executive order in January of 2020 to begin the Gowanus Canal Superfund site cleanup. The first area allotted for cleanup will serve as the primary wetlands area. On november 16th later that year, dredging began in the northern section of the Gowanus Canal, and will continue through mid-2023.
Affected Communities
Gowanus Canal Conservancy
The Gowanus Canal Conservancy seeks to advocate for the Gowanus community and promote the clean-up of the Gowanus canal superfund site
Mission Statement: Gowanus Canal Conservancy advocates and cares for ecologically sustainable parks and public spaces in the Gowanus lowlands while empowering a community of stewards
Community Initiatives of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy
“The Gowanus Canal Conservancy holds a yearly bioblitz , working with experts, volunteers, and students to survey and document the biodiversity thriving in and around the Gowanus Canal. On foot and canoe, the team traverses the area for a set period of time (typically from 4 to 24 hours), documenting their findings using iNaturalist, a citizen science mapping application. The bioblitzes provide yearly species inventories at a time when the canal and its banks are rapidly changing with the Superfund clean-up and new development.”
"Gowanus Canal Conservancy has been composting on the Salt Lot since 2011. In 2017, thanks to funding from District 39 participatory budgeting, Gowanus Canal Conservancy worked with NYC Compost Project Hosted by Big Reuse to begin operating the largest community-based compost facility in Brooklyn."
"With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Forest Service, Gowanus Canal Conservancy and partners piloted a Bioswale Stewardship Training Program from 2014-2017 to engage volunteers and students in the management and advocacy for green infrastructure in the Gowanus Watershed."
- "Through the Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan , Gowanus Canal Conservancy seeks to ensure the community has a key role in shaping a watershed that is accessible, active, and clean for all."
"The Gowanus Green Team are paid high school apprentices engaged in environmental stewardship, nursery maintenance, green infrastructure, and urban conservation work each spring and summer. This program aims to educate local youth, expand job opportunities, and cultivate awareness and urgency regarding the importance of environmental work in Gowanus and New York City."
"The Lowlands Nursery offers plants that are well-adapted to the urban conditions of Gowanus, celebrating the local ecosystem while educating and engaging the community in environmental stewardship."
" The Gowanus Tree Network are neighbors working together to build a healthy urban forest. Tree Ambassadors enroll in free Citizen Pruner training, organize tree stewardship with their neighbors, and enter the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest."
