Decades of industrial and municipal use contributed to the contamination of the Gowanus Canal. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)‘s Remedial Investigation (RI) identified waste from tanneries, factories, and chemical plants that freely flowed into the canal. A key feature of the USEPA’s Superfund process is the “enforcement first” policy, which identifies Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) for contamination. The map shown below identifies the parties that have received general notice letters from the USEPA informing them that they are a responsible party and that they share responsibility for the entire canal.

For more information on the land these organizations own along the canal, click on the corresponding color on the map below. For the latest information on the search for PRPs, visit the USEPA’s Gowanus Superfund website.