Gowanus Canal Cleanup Effort

Gowanus Canal Section Deemed Clean for First Time in Over a Century

By Spectrum News Staff Brooklyn

PUBLISHED 9:05 AM ET Mar. 05, 2019 PUBLISHED March 5, 2019 @9:05 AM

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Believe it or not, part of the Gowanus Canal is now clean.

The Environmental Protection Agency says a portion of the canal's bottom is clean for the first time in over 100 years.

It's crediting a recent waste removal project in the 4th Street turning basin in Brooklyn, where a cover was placed over contaminated material.

The agency's administrator says community involvement also helped make a difference.

The Gowanus Canal was declared a federal Superfund Site in 2009.

That allows the EPA to clean it up and forces those responsible for the contamination to reimburse the government for the cleanup work.

Gowanus Canal Section Deemed Clean for First Time in Over a Century