[CPEO-BIF] Gowanus Canal (Brooklyn) op-ed in NY Times

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

From Gowanus to Venice


By ELEANOR RANDOLPH
New York Times Editorial Notebook
May 31, 2009

The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is notoriously toxic. Since 1869, the 
mile-long waterway has been a dumping ground for sewage, industrial 
sludge, guns and body parts — its waters once too vile to search. Today 
you can still stand on a bridge over the canal and see unmentionables 
floating on an iridescent film.

The odor, once almost unbearable, has softened into an occasional summer 
stink, thanks to a flushing tunnel installed 10 years ago. A growing 
number of artists and young people have moved into the industrial lofts 
and row houses nearby. Some of the most oblivious have been spotted on 
the canal in kayaks, their paddles stirring 140 years worth of detritus 
from tanneries, chemical plants and more.

Now, these Gowanus pioneers want somebody to finally detoxify their 
hazardous neighborhood. They imagine it as Brooklyn’s little Venice, 
although a bit cleaner. The Environmental Protection Agency is 
considering naming the Gowanus an official Superfund site. That would 
bring in a slow but steady federal cleanup with money and the legal 
clout to force polluters to help pay.

...

For the entire column, see
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/opinion/31sun4.html

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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