Residents report record rankness around Gowanus Canal

December 20, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GOWANUS — RESIDENTS SAY THAT the stench of the Gowanus Canal, an EPA Superfund Site, is the worst it has been in 50 years due to cleanup efforts, according to News12.

“In 50 years I have never smelt how horrific it was here on Nevins Street,” says Linda LaViolette of Voice of Gowanus, who also expressed concern that the odors could be coming from potentially hazardous chemicals. The Department of Environmental Protection is creating a large underground tank to keep sewage overflow from entering the canal, which the Brooklyn Eagle reports will have the capacity to prevent over 12 million gallons of sewer overflow during rainstorms.

At a meeting last Tuesday, the DEP announced that it will be transporting the removed waste to disposal sites out of the city via 60 dump trucks a day covered with non-airtight tarps, raising concerns that accidents or bumpy roads could result in the spewing of small amounts of the Gowanus’ infamous “black mayonnaise” sludge over city streets – as well as that equally notorious smell.

A risk assessor from the federal Environmental Protection Agency also said at the meeting that naphthalene fumes from the canal could cause nausea, headaches and health complications with even low exposure, according to the New York Post. LaViolette is also worried about fumes from volatile organic compounds in coal tar, while other residents are concerned about cancer-causing trichloroethylene vapors from the soil. Naphthalene and trichloroethylene are both examples of VOCs.

Residents are also worried about intense traffic around the canal due to construction, but the DEP has said that their reduced construction time will outshine any temporary disruptions. The smell during the summer tends to worsen. Reporter Elizabeth Kuster described the scent as “Venetian” (in jest).