The City Pushes Its Plan for Gowanus Canal Clean-Up
The city yesterday was pushing its plan for cleaning up the Gowanus Canal, a route it says would provide the same results as if the E.P.A. took it on as a Superfund project but in much less time. This isn’t a ‘trust us’ scenario, said Cas Holloway, chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler….
The city yesterday was pushing its plan for cleaning up the Gowanus Canal, a route it says would provide the same results as if the E.P.A. took it on as a Superfund project but in much less time. This isn’t a ‘trust us’ scenario, said Cas Holloway, chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler. The goal is to have a Superfund-quality cleanup faster than the Superfund. The city says it can get the job done in less than a decade, whereas it says the E.P.A. could take as least twice as long (and potentially longer depending on the amount of legal wrangling). Time is particularly important to the city because of the plans that are on the books for two large mixed-use developments along the shores of the canal. The E.P.A., which is accepting public comments on the canal’s Superfund candidacy, questions whether the the city would be able to secure the federal funds it would need for its plan.
City Proposes New Plan for Gowanus Canal Cleanup
Gowanus Superfund Debate: Both Sides Now [Brownstoner]
Conflict over Gowanus Canal Superfund Status [Brownstoner]
Photo by wallyg
It seems that the City is taking to the media in their continuing PR efforts in another attempt to garner support where there is hardly any.
The City didn’t seem at all concerned about the toxic canal when Toll was seeking their rezoning. Make no mistake: this is all about the Gowanus re-zoning. Once the canal is designated a super fund site, and I have every expectation that it will be, even Bill de Blasio and Amanda Burden might have to think twice about allowing residential development on adjacent lots. My feeling is that the City merely wants to delay the listing to get the ULRUP through and then they will throw in the towel in a few years and request the canal be listed. The City is also relying on potential funds from private developers but of course they can’t come right out and say that because that would be admitting that the ULURP is on big sham.
The City’s plan relies too heavily on everything falling into place starting with Bloomberg’s re-elections. The alternative plan also relies on congressional funding from the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDA receives 50 million per year which is shared among the states and the money needs to be requested every year. The canal is not on the list and even if it were it would be in competition with other Hudson Harbor sites. Funding under this method seems an impossibility.
The timeframes for either method are not that far apart and it is impossible to accurately predict how long either will take just like a kitchen or bathroom renovation takes longer than initially expected.
If the City is so gung ho to show there ability to clean a contaminated waterway they should refocus their energy on the Newtown Creek.
And by the way, I am a Gowanus homeowner and welcome the EPA’s involvement as do an overwhelming majority of my neighbors.
I for one hope they add a fishing pier to the project. Yummy-all natural organic fish.