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The Gowanus Canal, one of the U.S.' most polluted waterways, is be cleaned-up after a century's worth of industrial contaminants and combined sewage overflows. Dredging, remediation, and neighborhood revitalization projects are underway.

The Gowanus Canal is located in New York City in the Borough of Brooklyn (Kings County). It measures 1.8 miles long and 100 feet wide and is bounded by several neighborhoods including Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Red Hook.

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Type of conflict. 1st level:

Waste Management

Type of conflict. 2nd level:

Landfills, toxic waste treatment, uncontrolled dump sites
Manufacturing activities
Water treatment and access to sanitation (access to sewage)

Project Details and Actors

Project details

It has been found that the Gowanus Canal contains a dangerous amount of toxic and hazardous contaminants. Three former manufactured gas plants, the former Fulton, Citizens Gas Works, and Metropolitan Gas Light Company MGP sites, are believed to be the main sources of much of the PAH contamination in the canal [4]. National Grid is the PRP for these former sites. Other major PRPs are the City of New York, Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc., Hess Corp., Honeywell International, and the Brooklyn Improvement Co [7]. There are also 30 other private and federal government entities that have "significantly smaller shares of responsibility" and they are: Beazer East, Inc., Chemtura Corp., U.S. Navy, Cibro Petroleum Products, Inc., Kraft Foods Global, Inc., Stauffer Management Company, LLC, Daniel Tinneny, H.J. Baker & Bro., Inc., MCIZ Corp., Fifteen Second Avenue LLC, Brink's Inc., Rapid American Corp., Bayside Fuel Oil Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., ExxonMobil Oil Corp., Citigroup, Inc./MRC Holdings, Inc., NL Industries, Inc., Patterson Fuel Oil Company, Inc., Chevron Corp., Verizon New York Inc., SPX Corporation, U.S. Postal Service, Dun and Bradstreet Corp., Cooper Standard Automotive, Inc., Rexam Beverage Can Co., NIC Holding Corporation, Hauck Manufacturing Co., CBS Corp., Beam Inc., TDA Industries, Inc., Northeastern Plastics, Inc., and U.S. Maritime Administration [17]. The list of PRPs may change based on further developments.

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Level of Investment for the conflictive project

506,000,000.00

Type of population

Urban

Affected Population:

~21,000

Start of the conflict:

1910

Relevant government actors:

Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
New York City
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
the New York State Department of Health
New York City Department of Environmental Protection

International and Finance Institutions

National Grid from United Kingdom
Honeywell International

Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available:

Gowanus Canal Conservancy - https://gowanuscanalconservancy.org/
Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice - https://www.gncj.org/
Our Lady of Peace - https://ourladyofpeace-brooklyn.org/
Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club

Intensity

MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization)

Reaction stage

In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation)

Groups mobilizing:

Local ejos
Neighbours/citizens/communities
Women
Ethnically/racially discriminated groups
Recreational users

Forms of mobilization:

Development of alternative proposals
Media based activism/alternative media
Official complaint letters and petitions
Public campaigns
Street protest/marches

Environmental Impacts

Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Waste overflow, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Oil spills
Potential: Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems

Health Impacts

Visible: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc...)

Socio-economical Impacts

Visible: Displacement

Other socio-economic impacts

Gentrification

Project Status

Under construction

Conflict outcome / response:

Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area
Project temporarily suspended

Proposal and development of alternatives:

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy and the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice are demanding additions to the rezoning proposal which would further protect the tenants of New York City Housing Authority developments, specifically the Warren Street, Wyckoff Gardens, and Gowanus Houses. They demand funding and representation to pay for improvements of the buildings by following HUD Section 3 hiring policies to ensure that local and low-income residents are hired to complete the work. The Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice also wants the City to support an Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Assessment as well as ensuring all CD6 residents are included in a Community Health Needs Assessment and Emergency Preparedness Plan to address local health disparities and disaster risks. Most parts of the proposals by environmental justice organizations are in agreement with the EPA and city plans.

Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?:

Not Sure

Briefly explain:

The remediation process is not complete and the Gowanus Canal remains an unsafe resource for the community. The effects of the cleanup, restoration, and beautification will further the threats of gentrification against BIPOC residents. The propsed Gowanus neighborhood rezoning is part of this concern. Access to the plannes green spaces and infrastructure may still be unequal.

References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries

[3] The significance of polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons as environmental carcinogens
[click to view]

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Gowanus Canal Cleanup, New York state, USA | EJAtlas

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The Gowanus Canal, one of the U.S.' most polluted waterways, is be cleaned-up after a century's worth of industrial contaminants and combined sewage overflows. Dredging, remediation, and neighborhood revitalization projects are underway.

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The purpose of making this was to tell others that they should clean their environment and that it's never too late to do so.