Community letter to EPA Region 2 Admin. Aug 2020

Gowanus Canal Superfund Required Sewage Detention Tanks  Vs. DEP Delay Request 

Dear Regional Administrator Lopez,

During the recent July Gowanus CAG meeting, the community was made aware that NYC DEP has requested a substantial delay in carrying out its obligations in the EPA Superfund cleanup for the canal, which includes one sewage detention tank at the head the canal and a smaller one on the city’s 2nd Avenue Salt Lot. We have been told that the DEP cites a large coronavirus-related revenue shortfall as a reason to push back this Superfund construction work a year for the larger tank, and a year and a half for the smaller tank.

As a local Gowanus coalition of civic associations and residents, we are reaching out to you with our concerns now, given that the EPA CAG will not be meeting again till late September and we understand this is a very time-sensitive matter.

As members of the Gowanus community many of us are aware of previous times when the DEP had fully funded Gowanus infrastructure work (the 2004 Flushing Tunnel Project) only to have DEP pull the funding for years and delay Gowanus for new infrastructure projects elsewhere.  

We have good reason to be concerned with this current excuse for delay especially given that the EPA has already allowed several delays on this DEP work. And that this work will now no longer be completed by the time the dredging work is finished. Further, there was an understanding in the community that funding for Gowanus CSO tanks has been in place. In March 2016, Councilman Lander TWEETED  proudly that he was glad to see $510m in the updated capital plan for Gowanus CSO retention tanks. 

The Gowanus community prefers that you DO NOT allow the NYC DEP to delay its portion of the Superfund cleanup any further.  If you are inclined to negotiate any delay, we ask that you only agree to delay the work of one tank's construction, not both, and make approval contingent upon NYCDEP agreeing to prioritize design and construction of both retention tank projects over all other new DEP infrastructure projects. We would feel deeply wronged in Gowanus if the EPA granted the requested delays to the DEP only to have the DEP fund new infrastructure works at the expense of finishing the Gowanus tank projects.

As you know, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage discharging regularly into our waterway continues to be a major environmental and health concern. The problem is about to become even more acute as the City appears poised to certify the massive rezoning of the Gowanus corridor.

Our community needs a hero. Please be ours.

Respectfully,
Voice of GowanusFriends and Residents of Greater Gowanus
Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful Development
Nature Based NY
Marlene Donnelly
Brad Vogel
Katia Kelly
Margaret Maugenest
Rita Miller
Linda Mariano
Triada Samaras
Debbie Stoller
Joseph Alexiou
Maryann Young
Talli Somekh
Jack Riccobono
Glenn Kelly
Lizzie Olesker
Rachael Kilian
Michael Kilian
Joachim Auer
Eunice Anderson
AuerVictoria Alexander
Ute Zimmerman
Nicole Vergalla
Fred Wolf
Marin Gazzaniga

https://www.brooklynpaper.com/city-again-delays-gowanus-canal-cleanup-citing-covid-budget-cuts/?fbclid=IwAR0Gd3WkMGoYguysUYfOXMgzBgdwtxDmb9-tb9q7_9kH15JbZ8xgIMnztdo