This is the latest in from Voice of Gowanus. This is a very important meeting with New York State DEC, a community availability session to discuss how to reduce the risk of building on toxic land in Gowanus/Carroll Gardens.
See you there!
Gerry --
Tomorrow, Tuesday, 7-9 pm at PS 372, 512 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
NYState DEC will be holding another in person “Community Availability” session to discuss their solutions for implementing Soil Vapor Intrusion systems which are meant to reduce the risks of building on toxic land.
Soil Vapor Intrusion systems rely on barriers, thick plastic sheets that are used to separate the toxic land below ground from the structures above them. Although this practice has been implemented in other parts of the state, we are extremely concerned that it is a poor solution to a much deeper problem here in Gowanus.
Soil Vapor Intrusion Barriers have NEVER BEEN DONE in a challenging environment like Gowanus, at sea level, in a flood plain, with antiquated failing sewage infrastructure. We should not be their guinea pigs. As we saw during the floods last week, water finds a way. So do toxic chemicals. We must protect health and human safety by remediating the land to pre-disposal conditions as required by law! Learn more on Voice of Gowanus
We hope you’ll join us and wear a Voice of Gowanus pin in solidarity. Or even better, wear a trash-bag poncho to show that vapor intrusion barriers are just a temporary solution at best!
New York State and Governor Hochul's response to this crisis are dangerous and inept. We demand people over profits. The sequence of events is wrong. The carcinogenic land must be cleaned up before it’s too late.
Gowanus is on the frontlines of climate change. With deep legacy pollution, how can we effectively prepare for the future if we aren’t properly cleaning up the past??
Please donate and we hope to see you tomorrow.
Voice of Gowanus
https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/
