One Assembly member says she is worried about the “city’s lack of focus on the sustainability of this area”
Above: The Gowanus Canal by Max Touhey
"“I’m very concerned about the city’s lack of focus on the sustainability of this area,” said state Assembly member Jo Anne Simon, who represents Gowanus, at a recent city-hosted meeting to gather input on the proposed rezoning. “[Zoning documents] say it looks to become a model green neighborhood, create livable spaces, productive neighborhood for generations to come, but I don’t see how the city can expect to become a model green neighborhood without taking into account the CSO problems we have.”
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"Environmental watchdogs fear a city-led rezoning to reshape Gowanus from a low-rise industrial area to a dense hub of residential development will inundate the Brooklyn neighborhood’s toxic canal with millions more gallons of raw sewage and work against a federal effort to clean up the waterway."
"The Gowanus Canal is in the midst of a Superfund cleanup led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revitalize the heavily polluted body of water. Oftentimes when the city’s sewer system is overwhelmed by run off from heavy rains, untreated waste from Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs) spew into the canal’s waters—which will flood Gowanus when another Hurricane Sandy-level storm hits."
"To preserve the cleanup, the city is investing in two massive sewage tanks to divert some of that waste until it can be treated, but the proposed rezoning is expected to lure 18,000 new residents to the neighborhood and doesn’t factor in mitigation for the surge of sewage created by that increase in population. Lawmakers and environmental advocates say the city must develop a plan to take “responsible care of our environment” or it will undo years of work to clean the canal."
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