EPA Unearths Gowanus Canal Cleanup Plans

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Barges full of toxic Gowanus Canal sludge soon will be steaming toward New Jersey, according to EPA cleanup plans unveiled this week.

Dredging on the polluted Gowanus Canal is tentatively scheduled to begin Aug. 20, a cleanup plan release Tuesday states. It's a watershed moment for the long-awaited canal cleanup ordered by the EPA.

The work will remove a layer of contaminated sediment from the canal, starting with a span between Union and Carroll streets, the plans state. Dredging will then move up and down the waterway until up through May 2022, according to the schedule.

An 80-foot by 60-foot barge will remove the contaminated sediment, according to the Gowanus Community Advisory Group's Twitter account.

The work also will entail adding support to the canal's banks, according to the plans. Cleanup crews will finally add cap layers of sediment over contaminated layers on the canal bottom.

An "armor" cap layer of articulated concrete blocks will be placed on top to keep everything in place, according to Twitter and the plans.

The final capping and armor layer will be complete by July 2023, the plans state.