Gowanus Canal cleanup to cost a half-billion
The EPA on Friday announced a proposed cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal – and it’s slated to cost between $467 and $504 million.
The plan’s main component, as has been discussed in EPA documents and at public meetings in the recent past, consists of removing the contaminated layer of sediment at the bottom and sides of the canal. The EPA would then cover the soil below with a multi-layered covering, or “cap,” to make sure that any remaining contaminants don’t migrate into the waters of the canal.
The proposed plan also includes controls to prevent raw sewage overflows from getting into the canal, as they do during rainstorms, causing further pollution. In addition, the plan would excavate and restore the filled-in First Street Turning Basin. When the former canal extension was filled in many years ago, contaminated fill was used.
“The proposed cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal will make essential progress in removing toxic contaminants from this heavily polluted and battered waterway,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Our overall goal is to reduce pollution and protect the health of people who live and work in this community”