Hear Update On Gowanus Canal Cleanup At Neighborhood Town Hall

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Community leaders will give an update on the cleanup of the Gowanus canal at a town hall next week.

The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group is hosting the event on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, a Democrat who represents the area, will give a keynote speech, according to an event description. The Environmental Protection Agency will give an overview of the project and present a timeline, then answer audience questions.

Here's the full description of the event from its Eventbrite page:

The Gowanus Canal was designated a federal Superfund site in 2010, which initiated a complex, multi-year clean-up. Dredging has started this fall in the 4th Street turning basin and will continue in 2018.

This public meeting is for community members to get information about the canal clean-up, timeline and what to expect. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez will give a keynote and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present an overview and timeline. An audience Q&A session will follow the presentation.

The canal is one of the dirtiest waterways in America and has been designated a "Superfund" site by the EPA. Cleanup has officially begun at the Fourth Street basin, where crews are scooping out toxic muck from the floor and replacing it with clean sand and clay.

That process will continue into April or May, and then officials will decide how to proceed with the cleanup from there.

The cleanup is expected to take several years to complete.

Photo by Marc Torrence, Patch Staff