Residents living near Brooklyn's toxic Gowanus Canal are fighting the E.P.A.'s $500 million environmental cleanup effort over disagreement with the methods proposed by the agency. Will their opposition thwart the long-sought remediation.
Most residents who live in proximity to Brooklyn's heavily polluted Gowanus can agree on one fundamental thing: "They want the canal purged of pollutants like PCBs, lead, mercury and raw sewage..." But, as Joseph Berger reports, two neighborhood groups are fighting the Environmental Protection Agency's plans for how to accomplish that task.
"One neighborhood fears that the sludge taken out from the canal would poison the air over their ball fields, and others worry that the location of a sewage-processing site needed for the cleanup would destroy a beloved swimming pool."
"The disputes illustrate a predicament that often crops up in environmental remediation: those affected see the cure as worse than the disease."
FULL STORY: Neighbors Resist a Plan to Clean a Toxic Canal
NYC Unveils Plans for Cleaning Up One of Its Most Polluted Waterways
The EPA has released plans for how it intends to clean up Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal Superfund site. Branden Klayko reports on the $500 million, two pronged approach.
EPA Launches Long-Awaited Cleanup of Gowanus Canal
Gowanus Creek was channelized in the 1800s and has been accumulating sludge ever since.
New York Tries to Dodge Superfund Status for Canal
New York City's Gowanus Canal has been heavily polluted for years. Mayor Bloomberg said the cleanup would happen, but it never did. Now the EPA is calling the troubled waterway a Superfund site and the city is kickstarting action.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
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Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
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As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
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