"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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Water And Sewer Service Line Protection Program: Worth It Or Not To Brownstone Brooklyn Owners?

A few days ago, I received an offer from American Water Resources (AWR),  an exclusive provider of a water and sewer service line protection program for NYC Department Of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The offer from AWR came with a letter from DEP stating that: "Many New York City homeowners are not aware that repairs to the lines that run from their home's exterior to the mains in the street are their responsibility.  Recognizing that many residents are unprepared for the potentially high cost of repairs and that most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover these costs, DEP is pleased to introduce new programs to protect homeowners like you from such unexpected expenses."
Also:
"Aging pipes, invasive tree roots, and even seasonal changes can cause a break to your water line or a blockage to your server line.  Typical water line repairs cost New York homeowners between $3,000 and $5,000 while an average sewer line replacement costs between $10,000 and $15,000."

The insurance offered by AWR is $ 11.98 a month for both water and sewer line protection.  Individual water service line and sewer service line protection plans are also available.  The monthly fee is added to the DEP water bill.

This certainly sounds like an interesting offer for Brooklyn brownstone owners, but it would be interesting to get some feedback from those who have already signed up.
 Is it a good deal?  Are the repair estimates mentioned by DEP correct? Do you have any experience with AWR?  Have you ever put in a claim?

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Gowanus CAG Off To A Good Start After First Meeting Last Night

Gowanus CAG's Neutral facilitator Jeffrey Edelstein with EPA's Walter Mugdan

Walter Mugdan during his presentation

Lucy De Carlo of CORD and Marlene Donnelly of FROGG

On Tuesday night, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) met for the very first time at the Old American Can Factory at 232 Third Street to lay the groundwork on how to structure the CAG, how to work together and how to best exchange information amongst its 57 members, the local community,  the Environmental Protection Agency and other pertinent government agencies involved in the clean-up of the extremely polluted  Gowanus Canal. Jeffrey Edelstein, the Neutral Facilitator who had been chosen by the communities impacted by the Superfund site in May, asked the CAG members to briefly introduce themselves and their affiliation.  Commenting on the unusually large size of this diverse group, Edelstein said: "Well, this is Brooklyn.  This is a unique situation."  He then asked Walter Mugdan, Director of the Superfund Program for the US Department for Environmental Protection's Region 2, to give an overview and update on the progress made.  

Walter Mugdan explained that there are three characteristic concerns about the Gowanus Canal.  First, the environmental concern for the polluted land surrounding the canal, secondly, concern for the water quality in the Gowanus and thirdly, the mud or sediment at the bottom of the waterway.  The Gowanus Canal was placed on the EPA's National Superfund Site list because of this highly toxic sediment. 

The water quality and land remediation, however, are the responsibility of New York State's Department Of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  The  NYS DEC had asked the federal Government to step in to deal with the sediment.

"We have a work sharing arrangement with DEC." Mr. Mugdan said." All these jobs need to be done."

Mr. Mugdan then went on to explain the clean-up process. (see chart on top)

The first step, the Remedial Investigation (RI), an assessment of the nature and extent of the contamination as well as the associated health and environmental risks, has been completed ahead of time. Walter Mugdan praised Christos Tsiamis, EPA's Region Two Project Manager in charge of the Gowanus Canal.  "Christos has done the most amazing job to move the work at a much quicker pace."  A report draft will be released by December 31st, 2010.

The next step in the process is to complete a Feasability Study (FS), a determination of the treatability and development of clean-up alternatives for the site. Mugdan expects the Feasbility Study to be done in draft by the end of 2011.

A proposed clean-up plan, which identifies a preferred remedial alternative for the site will most probably ready by 2012, at which time the community will have 60 days to comment.

"If I were a betting man, I would bet that we will be dredging a lot of muck out of the canal" Mr. Mugdan said.

Mugdan estimates the entire process to take about 10 to 12 years. "We will be together for a long, long time" he told members of the CAG.

After his presentation, Mr. Mugdan took questions from both the CAG members and the audience.  One important issue, the relationship between the EPA, the DEC and the New York City Department Of Environmental Protection (DEP), came up a few times.  There was concern about the contamination from the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSOs) into the Gowanus Canal.  Though the DEP is currently working on improving the system, the work will only reduce the CSOs by 34% at most.   Asked if the EPA would consider taking over the remediation of the water quality since the DEP's plan will not even come close to meeting the criteria of the Clean Water Act, Walter Mugdan answered that right now, his agency does not feel that it is necessary though he acknowledged that the DEP's plan is not a total solution.  "There is always a chance. We have the authority to do so."

Asked if the Gowanus Canal will ever be "swimmable and fishable", Mugdan shook his head. "Not in our lifetime, but the risks can be significantly reduced."

***Please also take the time to read Found in Brooklyn's excellent post on last nights meeting:  Gowanus News: First C.A.G Meeting Recap.

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Holy Crap! Video Shows Raw Sewage Flooding Into Canal During Last Week's Storm

By now, everyone in New York City knows that the Gowanus Canal, once a thriving industrial waterway, is one of the most toxic sites in the United States, so toxic in fact, that the United Sates Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the canal a Superfund Site this past spring. The agency is currently studying how best to remove the coal tar and other poisons which have accumulated at the bottom of the canal.

However, toxic industrial waste is only one of the problems facing the Gowanus Canal. Local residents know all too well what happens to the waterway after every major rainfall. When our antiquated, overburdened sewer system reaches capacity, run-off and raw sewage is diverted into the canal.

The New York City Department Of Environmental Protection is currently upgrading the flushing tunnel and pumping station at 201 Douglass Street at a cost of approximately $140 million. It is hoped that the upgrade will reduce the Combined Sewer Overflow (C.S.O.) by 34%.

Though this is a worthy goal, it only solves 1/3 of the problem.

No plan has yet been presented to stop it completely.

We need to demand one now.

The video above illustrates the problems very graphically. It was filmed close to the Douglass Street flushing tunnel on September 16th, the day of the tornado here in Brooklyn. It was posted on You Tube by someone called keanhokeanho.

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NYC DEP To Hold Meeting With Community Regarding Gowanus Canal Facilities Upgrade

Have you noticed that these days, the Gowanus Canal has an eery greenish color about it and that its distinctive foul smell has returned? This has to do with the fact that its flushing tunnel has been taken off-line by the New York City's Department Of Environmental Protection in order to upgrade the flushing tunnel system and wastewater pumping station at the head of the Gowanus Facilities station located at 201 Douglass Street.

In August, the NYC D.E.P. published a project update on the Gowanus Canal facilities upgrade. According to the agency "the Gowanus Facilities Upgrade is proposed to improve the capacity, function, efficiency, and reliability of the Gowanus Canal flushing tunnel system and wastewater pumping station with the aim of improving the water quality in the Gowanus Canal over the long term."

The work was started in September 2009 and will be completed by the summer of 2013. The cost is approximately $140 million.

The agency claims that the upgrade will reduce combined sewer overflows into the canal by 34%. (Why, you may ask, is raw sewage in any concentration still allowed to flow right into our neighborhood?)

According to The Friends And Residents of Greater Gowanus (F.R.O.G.G.), the DEP has scheduled a meeting with the community on October 25th. Details of the meeting will be posted on Community Board 6's web site and I will add more details here.

It is important for everyone to attend this meeting. It is a great opportunity to ask the City why it still allows sewer overflow to drain directly into the canal in the first place.

Please see the NYC DEP Gowanus Project Update below:

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