"It Only Takes 1/10th Of An Inch Of Rain": Flyer Spotted On Smith Street Warns Of CSO Events

I spotted the flyer above, taped to a pay phone on Smith Street, last Friday. It seemed appropriate since Tropical Storm Andrea was dumping upwards of four inches of rain on the Metropolitan area that day, and breaking previous rainfall records all along the Northeast.
No doubt, the heavy rains flooded quite a few basements in the area, especially in Gowanus,

And today, it's raining heavily once again.

No group or individual took credit for the flyer and it was the only one I spotted on Smith Street.

Its message, however, is relevant and important for this area. As many of you know, New York City has an antiquated combined sewer system, which means that rain run-off from streets and roofs get collected in the same pipes with domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater, which lead to a waste water treatment facility.

The Red Hook and Owls Head Wasterwater Treatment Plants are responsible for our area. However, when the facilities exceed their capacity because of flash floods or heavy rainfall, the excess waste water is discharged into the Gowanus Canal.

There are currently 10 active Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) and three storm water outfalls that dump directly into the canal.
The largest and most significant outflow is RH-034, which is located at the head of the canal. RH-034 contributes an annual discharge of roughly 121 million gallons.

(Who can forget the 2010 video of the CSO event at RH-034 )

The CSOs aren't just an embarrassment to New York City, they represent a significant risk to human health and to wildlife.

Though the City is currently working on upgrading the Gowanus Canal Flushing Tunnel and Waste Water Pumping Station, the upgrades will only reduce Combined Sewer Overflows into the canal by approximately 34%.

The Environmental Protection Agency has declared the 1.8 mile man-made canal a Superfund Site. The Agency has proposed a comprehensive cleanup plan to address the many decade’s worth of toxic sludge at the bottom at the canal as well as the ongoing pollution from upland sites adjacent to the waterway. In order to ensure continued protection of the canal once it has been remediated, the EPA has determined that future permanent CSO sediment controls are required. The agency has roposed in-line retention tanks be constructed near outfalls RH-034 and OH-007, the two largest contributors of CSOs and solids into the Gowanus.
These retention basins would go a long way towards finding a real solution to the CSO problem.

Mayor Bloomberg and NYC's Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Commissioner Carter Strickland have poo-pooed the idea so far.

What can we do as citizens besides advocating for 100% cessation of CSOs into the Gowanus Canal?
On a rainy day like today or last Friday, don't contribute more waste water to an already overloaded system. Wait till after the rains to run your washing machine or your dishwater. That would already help a tiny bit.

The result of a CSO event on the Gowanus Canal

A visual of CSO sludge accumulation from Outflow RH-034 at the head of the Gowanus Canal, clearly visible during dry weather during a low tide

Gowanus Canal CSO Outflow Locations.

(EPA Map)

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Best Comment Of The Day: Amazing Display Of Arrogance

Anonymous has left the following comment on the post "Mayor Bloomberg Holds Press Conference On NYC Water System Improvements Just Steps Away From A Very Foul Gowanus Canal":

"An amazing display of arrogance..How can a mayor that puts new "m[a]ndates" on its citizens for what we can eat, how much soda we can buy, where we drive, what we pay in rent, where we may smoke etc etc have the gall to complain about the federal government issuing mandates to enforce a 1972 law for the city to clean up its waters by getting the human sewage out.. just 6 more months of little general."

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On A Day Of Massive Flooding In Gowanus, Local Politicians Ask City To Evaluate Hydrological Impact Of Large Elevated Sites Like Lightstone Group's In Flood Prone Area

Rendering of proposed Lightstone Group's Project on shore of Gowanus Canal
image credit: Lightstone Group

It would seem appropriate that on a day that saw heavy rains and flash flooding in the Gowanus area, our elected officials sent a letter to City Hall to ask if the "potential for adverse hydrologic impacts upon surrounding properties resulting from re-grading of large sites within flood hazards areas" has fully been investigated.

In the letter addressed to Deputy Mayors Cas Holloway and Robert Steele yesterday , Councilmember Lander, Congresswoman Velázquez and State Senator Montgomery specifically mention the 12 story, 700-unit Lightstone Group's project at 363-365 Bond Street.

Lightstone intends to re-grade their building site by raising the site of the development by two feet at First Street to address FEMA's recently released post-Sandy Advisory Base Flood Elevations and to comply with changes to the Building Code.

Since the Gowanus Canal was originally engineered to drain the upland marshland surrounding the canal in order to keep water away from residences in Carroll Gardens and Park Slope, this change in hydrology raises serious concerns about flooding and drainage in the Gowanus area. It may mean more problems for nearby residents, who deal with flooded basements on an regular basis.

Lander, Velazquez and Montgomery are asking City Planning "if re-grading could-even in a limited set of circumstances- lead to such impacts, how will such impacts be evaluated?
For example, would the Department Of Buildings confer with the Department of Environmental Protection before approving building permits for a re-graded site in a flood hazard area, such as that planned for 363-365 Bond Street?"

Further, Lander, Velazquez and Montgomery believe that " it would be better to bring all stakeholders to the table to develop a comprehensive plan for the infrastructure, flood protection, and land use regulations needed for a safe, vibrant, and sustainable Canal area. We should seize this opportunity to create an innovative model for low-lying, mixed-use waterfront areas on a warming planet."

It is encouraging that our Electeds recognize the hydrological impact to surrounding areas if developers like Lightstone's are allowed to re-grade the Gowanus area.

We need a new hydrological study before any new development moves forward.

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Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Invites NYC Mayoral Candidates To Discuss Sea Level Rise -- On A Boat

The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, which encompasses over 620 organizations with ties to our regional waterways,  is serious about Sea Level Rise. And they want New York City's Mayoral Candidates to know exactly how serious they are.  That's why the Alliance is hosting its mayoral candidate forum on a boat.
It's a novel idea.  Perhaps, Gowanus residents can hold a forum and take the candidates out onto the polluted canal in canoes?  I would love to see De Blasio (who never came out in favor of the EPA Superfund for the polluted canal when he was our Councilman) navigate his way through the toxic waterway.  Wouldn't you?

Read on:

On April 9, 2013, leading candidates for the office of Mayor of New York City will gather at the invitation of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance to debate, for the first time, the challenge of sea level rise and the future of the City's waterfront. And they'll be doing it on a boat.
NY City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller John C. Liu, former NYC Comptroller William C. Thompson and Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. will participate in a Mayoral Candidates Forum that will launch the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance 2013 Waterfront Conference.
The forum will be moderated by Christopher O. Ward, chairman of the MWA Board of Directors and former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Each candidate will give a brief statement describing his or her vision for the waterfront, and then will receive questions from an all-star audience of activists and policy-makers.
"Making the City's shoreline more resilient is the most pressing issue of our time," said Roland Lewis, MWA's president and chief executive officer. "We're thrilled that the leading candidates to be the next Mayor of New York City will join us on April 9 to tell us about their commitment for a safe and accessible waterfront, post-Sandy."
The forum and conference takes place aboard Entertainment Cruises's Spirit of New Jersey, dockside in the morning at Pier 61/Chelsea Piers (23rd Street). The vessel will leave for a harbor lunch cruise and more panels in the afternoon headlined by topics including the Future of Ferries, How to Protect the Harbor, and What Went Right.

All information pertaining to the event can be found here.

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Important Info Every Red Hook And Gowanus Building Owner Needs To Hear: What FEMA's New Flood Maps Mean For Building Owners In Zone A

Canal at Carroll Street during Sandy (photo credit: Margaret Maugenest)

FEMA Advisory Base Flood Elevations for Gowanus And Red Hook

After Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated its 1983 Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) of the New York area to reflect the full extend of the water's reach during the October 2012 storm. These new updated maps are called "Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE)" and show the significant expansion of the flood plains. Many areas that were previously not in Advisory Zone A have now been included.

Just recently, FEMA has completed and added the ABFE section specifically pertaining to Gowanus and Red Hook. (You can access the section here)

New York's ABFEs are advisory now, but eventually, the information will be used to update the official FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. When the agency does include it in the next 1-2 years, insurance premiums in flood prone areas will go up significantly.

According to FEMA, if your property is in the redefined Zone A, it should be raised by 3 feet above the Base Flood elevation. Otherwise, your insurance premiums will go up. "Elevating" can be accomplished by rebuilding on stilts or, by sacrificing the cellar/basement of an existing home.
To make up for the space, New York City will relax zoning requirements and allow property owners to build additional space on their building.

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery would like to make her Red Hook, Gowanus, and Sunset Park constituents aware of all this new information and of all the new regulations. Her office just published a guide, part of which you can see below. You can also access it on her website here.
"As you can see, there is much to be considered in response to the ABFE maps" State Senator Montgomery writes.  " If my office can be of service please reach out to us!"

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Love, Gowanus Style: Mallard Couple Seems Happy On Canal

Can we look forward to ducklings in the Gowanus Canal in a few weeks?
On a walk across the Union Street Bridge yesterday, I spotted a pair of Mallards on the shores of the Gowanus Canal.  One cannot imagine a worse place for wildlife than the Gowanus Canal, which has been polluted for over a century, but the duck couple seemed to be rather comfortable in this environment. The female even followed the drake into the foul water for a swim, before jumping onto a log and cleaning herself.

According to Wikipedia:
"Mallards usually form pairs (in October and November) only until the female lays eggs at the start of nesting season which is around the beginning of spring, at which time she is left by the male who joins up with other males to await the moulting period which begins in June."

Perhaps the Gowanus Canal is far from the ideal place to rear one's young, but the waterway does seem to at least partly fit the requirements for an ideal duckling nursery.

"When seeking out a suitable nesting site, the female's preferences are areas that are well concealed, inaccessible to ground predators, or have few predators nearby. This can include nesting sites in urban areas such as roof gardens, enclosed courtyards, and flower boxes on window ledges and balconies more than one story up, which the ducklings cannot leave safely without human intervention."

As cute as it would be to see ducklings swimming on our canal, the idea is just a bit unsettling.  I would feel so much better if the Gowanus were already cleaned up.

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EPA Discusses Proposed Clean-Up Plan For Gowanus Canal In More Detail With Community Advisory Group

Christos Tsiamis, Remedial Project Manager for the Gowanus Canal

Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Outreach Coordinator

Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 Legal Council

Jeff Edelstein, facilitator for Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group

Many of the members of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) had attended at least one of the public meetings held in late January by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 on the Proposed Remediation Plan for the polluted waterway.

On Monday night at PS 58, the CAG had an opportunity to ask Christos Tsiamis, EPA's Remedial Project Manager,  more detailed questions and to delve into more detail.

The discussion focussed on three particular points:
*the 5th Street Basin
*The contamination and remediation at Thomas Greene Park and Douglas Street Pool, that were built on an old Gas Manufacturing Plant and the proposed Combined Sewer Overflow retention basin for the site.
*the proposal of using a particular Red Hook site for staging work related to dewatering dredged material. In addition, if the community agrees, the EPA is proposing the construction of a Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) to treat and store the least contaminated dredge collected from the lower part of the Gowanus Canal.

Here are some of the clarifications provided by Christos Tsiamis on those three points.

The 5th Street Basin.

As part of the Proposed Plan, the First Street Basin will be dredged and reclaimed as part of the canal. Members of the CAG wanted to know why the 5th Street Basin, which was filled between 1953 and 1964, was not going to be dredged as part of the clean-up.

Tsiamis explained the ground water and soil contamination at the two basins is distinctly different. The First Street Basin has much, much higher levels of contamination and causes a much greater risk. It was also found at depth that would cause a risk of re-contaminating the bottom of the canal after the clean-up.   "We have not seen the same at the 5th Street Basin," Tsiamis added. "There is contamination at the 5th Street Basin. The basin is one of six upland sites we have referred to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for further investigation."

Douglass Greene Park and Pool And Proposed Retention Basin

Douglas Greene Park and the pool at Douglass Street were constructed over a former  Brooklyn Union Gas Manufacturing Plant (MGP), which operated on the site from 1879 to 1929.  Today, the land underneath the park is still heavily contaminated with coal tar.  Some of this free liquid tar is moving towards the canal.  National, Grid, which bought Brooklyn Union Gas/National Grid  in 2006, is now responsible for the remediation.  The work will be done under NYS Department of Environmental Conservation supervision.
Some members of the CAG expressed concern about the swimming pool, which most certainly will have to be removed.
"This park is part of the Superfund site. You have a pool that's sitting on coal tar,"  Tsiamis stated.  "The pool was placed on the most polluted part of the canal."
Considering the nature and the extend of the work that will need to be done to remove the coal tar, the pool cannot stay.  "I don't think that children should be around when the work is being performed," he added.

As part of the Plan, EPA has suggested building a retention tank underneath the area of the swimming pool to mitigate the Combined Sewer Overflow issue that needs to be addressed as part of the clean-up.
The retention tank would allow the storage of excess water and sewage that now flows into the canal during rain events to be stored for one or two days until it can be pumped to the sewer treatment plant for treatment.
Tsiamis has proposed this particular location for a retention tank for a few reasons:
*The largest outflow, which is responsible for much of the raw sewage into the canal, is at the head of the canal at Douglass Street, near the park.
*The park is one of the only open pieces of land in this densely populated area.
*The land is already owned by New York City.
*The CSO issue needs to be address to avoid recontamination of the canal after the Superfund clean-up.
Tsiamis explained that the retention basin would be "controlled construction" to remedy an "uncontrolled situation."

1928 photo of the former MGP site at Douglass Street, where Thomas Greene Park is now

Original Sandborne map of the MGP .  Green line indicates online of the entire plant

Detail of what is now Thomas Greene Park

Douglas Greene pool

Dewatering Staging Site and proposed Confined Disposal Facilty in Red Hook

Once the actual work of cleaning the Gowanus Canal starts, the sludge at the bottom of the canal will have to be dredged.
In order to de-water the dredge, a staging area is needed.  The EPA has scouted for a suitable location and has identified a site by Columbia Street in Red Hook, which belongs to John Quadrozzi of GBX.
Since it is ideally situated at the bottom of the canal,  the dredge can be transported there by barge, limiting truck traffic through the neighborhood.

In total, an estimated 600,000 cubic yards will needs to be dredged and dewatered.  Most of the very toxic material from the top and the middle of the canal will then be shipped off site for treatment.
The EPA has proposed to stabilize the least toxic material (about 200,000 cubic yards)  from the bottom part of the canal at the facility in Red Hook by mixing it with cement, which will turn it into regular concrete that is neutral and not harmful.
One option, which the EPA is exploring is to build a Confined Disposal Facility on underwater land with filling right owned by  GBX.  The stabilized sediment material would be placed in this CSF.
(Imagine a huge concrete tub, in which the treated material would be placed and capped.)
All work would be done by an expert qualified contractor hired by the EPA.  The agency would also put restrictions on the land gained from building a CDF and would regularly inspect it.

On February 13, the EPA will be in the Red Hook community to discuss in more detail the specifics of the Proposed Plan and the proposed CDF. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM at P.S. 15, located at 71 Sullivan Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The public is welcome.

Christos Tsiamis was clear that the facility will only be considered if the community wishes.  If residents object, there are other options.

Potential location for Confined Disposal Facility in Red Hook

Similar press will be used to dewatered dredge

Liquid from de-watering process will be treated.

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