New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Lisa Garcia, an administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency, announced on Wednesday, March 15th, a project to construct two sewage containers underneath Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. New York City Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department od Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala was also present at the Gowanus Canal with Mayor Adams and Garcia to break ground on the project.
“Sewage overflow has long been a problem in the Gowanus area, and especially during heavy rainfalls. These tanks and the improved drainage and pumping infrastructure around it will keep the Gowanus Canal cleaner and provide more space for recreation and community activities,” said Mayor Adams.
The construction project will come at a cost of $1.6 billion. The main task of the project will be the construction of two large tanks capable of holding 12 million gallons of waste water. The top of the tanks will be designed into a 3.6 acre park. It is projected that the entire project will be completed in 2030.
“Today marks the achievement of an important milestone in our shared efforts to restore and protect the health of the Gowanus Canal,” said EPA Regional Administrator Garcia. “Under the leadership of Mayor Adams and New York City DEP Commissioner Aggarwala, the city has taken an important step forward in implementing the EPA-ordered Superfund cleanup and safeguarding the health of our environment and the well-being of this community.”
The Gowanus Canal is infamous for the flow of waste water that carries toxic material. For a considerable time, it was utilized as a dumping ground by industrial and chemical manufacturing companies. There was a point when the waste in the canal was hazardous, with a group of scientists discovering the gonorrhea virus as present in the water. In 2018, an agreement was reached between the United States EPA and the National Grid to clean up the canal at a cost of $100 million.
