Watch CBS News

NY Proposes Continuing Cleanup Along Gowanus Canal

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York conservation officials are inviting public comments on proposed plans to continue cleaning up contamination along the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

State officials say the former Fulton Municipal Works manufactured gas plant is a principal source of contaminants to sediments in the upper canal, and that the coal tar from it has spread in soils below the surface, including under a portion of Thomas Greene Park.

But state Department on Conservation spokesman Peter Constantakes said it has been completely covered over.

NY Proposes Continuing Cleanup Along Gowanus Canal

"People can still go about their normal business on those properties with no worries about exposure," he told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.

State officials say National Grid, former site owner, will pay for the cleanup that includes building a sealed wall along the western shoreline of the Gowanus Canal and removing coal tar that accumulates.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has upgraded the Gowanus sewage pumping station which is expected to cut sewer overflow discharges into the canal by 44 percent.

The cleanup could take five or more years.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.