Gowanus Canal TASK Report: An Easy-To-Understand Summary Of Major EPA Technical Documents

 

Three page report prepared by Skeo

A few months back, the EPA Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Committee (CAG) asked the Federal agency to provide funds  for Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC.)  The CAG felt that the community would appreciate an easy-to-understand report on the reports issued by the EPA on the Gowanus Canal to date.  The report was prepared by Skeo Solutions.

Below is an introduction to the report from the CAG:

Attached is a new report (and summary) that explains, in layperson terms, the major EPA technical documents released to date for the Gowanus Canal Superfund site: the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study(RI/FS). The report aims to help organizations, community groups, and individuals gain a better understanding of the RI/FS, the complexities of the site contamination, and the process that the EPA is taking to clean the canal.

The report gives an overview of the findings of the RI/FS and the Superfund process with a focus on: 1) the impacts of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and how these could be addressed through the Superfund Cleanup; 2) how water movement affects contamination in the Canal; and 3) how ecological restoration of the canal could be part of site cleanup.
The Gowanus Canal CAG requested the assistance of a technical advisor through the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program to review and prepare this report. Our TASC advisors, Skeo Solutions, worked with the Water Quality and Technical Committee of the CAG on the drafting of the report with the goal of creating a document that will foster greater understanding and engagement in the Superfund cleanup process throughout the community.

Please share and distribute widely to organizations, community groups, and anyone else who might benefit from this report.
The 3-page report can be accessed and printed here
A full, more comprehensive report is available here