As we continue to adjust to the evolving COVID-19 situation, EPA and the Gowanus Canal Superfund Project Team are taking the necessary steps to ensure that decisions about cleanup activities at the Gowanus Canal Superfund site are made with the health and safety of the communities and site workers as the priority. Our contractors are implementing health and safety plans specific to preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus during cleanup activities. These plans require best practices for site safety, including face covering, gloves, and other appropriate personal protective equipment for employees and visitors, random temperature checks of employees, tracking employees who might be ill, and social distancing. EPA will continue to monitor site operations and The Gowanus Canal’s Superfund Project Team’s health and safety practices.
Update: December 2020
- Equipment, material, and personnel staging at the Support Site currently located on the corner of Smith and Huntington Street
- Mechanical dredging along the entirety of RTA-1
- Installation of bulkhead and bridge supports
- In-situ stabilization in designated areas
- Capping along the entirety of RTA-1
GCSPT continues to meet with USEPA regularly to coordinate construction activities with the other ongoing bulkhead installation work being performed by private property owners along the canal. This coordination requires a great deal of effort and attention to detail to sequence the movement of in-canal construction vessels in close proximity to one another. For the safety of workers and the public, the USEPA has required that the public refrain from using the canal during the in-water work. If needed, all vessel movement should be coordinated through the U.S. Coast Guard and the USEPA.
Currently, GCSPT, including the Contractor, is using the property at the corner of Huntington and Smith Streets for support of the in-canal work. The Contractor is utilizing the Support Site for staging of various equipment and materials required for the remedy as well as a central staging location for project personnel. Necessary support facilities, like the canal water treatment plant, required to safely process and discharge canal waters collected during dredging are also located within the Support Site.
Coming soon!
Links to sign up for e-mail updates and more about the Gowanus Canal activities and monitoring data in the latest update.
For more information, please leave a message on our hotline at (718) 403-2451 and check back for an email update sign up form.
The USEPA Remedial Project Manager for the Site is Christos Tsiamis. He can be reached by e-mail at tsiamis.christos@epa.gov or by phone at (212) 637-4257.
The USEPA Community Involvement Coordinator is Natalie Loney. She can be reached by e-mail at loney.natalie@epa.gov or (212) 637-3639.
HISTORY
The Gowanus Canal was built in the mid-1800s and for many years served as as a major industrial transportation route. Decades of industrial use along the Canal contributed to the Gowanus Canal’s environmental impacts. In addition, contamination flows into the canal from overflows from sewer systems that carry sanitary waste from homes and rainwater from storm drains and industrial pollutants. As a result, on March 4, 2010, USEPA added the Gowanus Canal to the National Priorities List of sites.
RESOURCES
TIMELINE
