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Gowanus Canal
Brooklyn, NY
Natalie Loney at TEDxGowanus
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Involvement Coordinator
Natalie Loney - (212) 637-3639
loney.natalie@epa.gov
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EPA has issued its Record of Decision: (Note very large file sizes):
- Gowanus Record of Decision Q&A's [PDF 337, 2 pp] | En Español [PDF 330 KB, 2 pp]
- Community Update [PDF 82 KB, 2 pp] | Hoja Informativa Comunitaria [PDF 47KB, 3 pp]
- Record of Decision [PDF 1.6 MB, 105 pp]
- Appendices I-IV + VI [PDF 12 MB, 258 pp]
- Appendix V: Responsiveness Summary [PDF 2 MB, 205 pp]
- Appendix V: Responsiveness Summary Attachment A-D + F-G [PDF 23 MB, 800 pp]
- Appendix V: Responsiveness Summary Attachment E [PDF 58 MB, 3063 pp]
- Appendix V: Responsiveness Summary Attachment E Part 2 NYCDEP Comments Appendices [PDF 6.1 MB, 223 pp]
The Gowanus Canal, in Brooklyn, New York, is bounded by several communities including Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. The canal empties into New York Harbor. Completed in 1869, the Gowanus Canal was once a major transportation route for the then separate cities of Brooklyn and New York City. Manufactured gas plants, mills, tanneries, and chemical plants are among the many facilities that operated along the canal.
As a result of years of discharges, storm water runoff, sewer outflows and industrial pollutants, the Gowanus Canal has become one of the nation's most extensively contaminated water bodies. Contaminants include PCBs, coal tar wastes, heavy metals and volatile organics. The contamination poses a threat to the nearby residents who use the canal for fishing and recreation.
On March 2, 2010, EPA added the Gowanus Canal to the Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Placing the Gownaus Canal on the list allows the Agency to further investigate contamination at the site and develop an approach to address the contamination.
The Administrative Record for EPA’s September 27, 2013 Record of Decision is available at the following information repositories:
Carroll Gardens Library
396 Clinton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Red Hook Library
7 Wolcott Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
EPA Region 2
Superfund Records Center
290 Broadway, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866
In January 2014, EPA anticipates that the Administrative Record will be available electronically through a link from this website.
