Gowanus Canal

Overview

The Gowanus Canal is a 1.8-mile waterway in Brooklyn, New York, that spent more than a century receiving industrial discharge from manufactured gas plants, tanneries, paper mills, and chemical plants. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2010. The canal sediment is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), copper, lead, and several specific PAH compounds including benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene. Combined sewer overflows also contributed to the contamination over the years.

EPA finalized a cleanup plan in 2013 that divides the canal into three segments. The plan calls for dredging roughly 581,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, stabilizing native soil with concrete, and installing a multilayer cap system made of clay, activated carbon, sand, and concrete armor. Two large combined sewer overflow (CSO) retention tanks, totaling 12 million gallons combined, are also being built under EPA supervision by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to stop future sewer contamination from reaching the canal.

Cleanup is actively in progress but not yet complete across the full site. Upper segment dredging and capping began in late 2020 and is substantially complete. Middle segment design finished in June 2024 and initial work started shortly after, with full-scale dredging and capping estimated to cost $369 million and take several years. The lower segment is expected to begin after the middle section finishes. CSO tank construction is also underway. The total estimated cleanup cost exceeds one billion dollars. EPA completed a five-year review of the site on June 17, 2025. Human exposure at the site is currently assessed as under control.

Redevelopment is already occurring in the neighborhood following a city rezoning. One developer previously completed 700 residential units across 3.4 acres and cleaned up potential contamination sources on those parcels before building. EPA coordinates with developers, the state, and other stakeholders to make sure redevelopment does not interfere with the ongoing canal cleanup.

Community members can get involved through the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG), which meets monthly and includes diverse local representatives. Meetings are currently held virtually, and recordings are posted at gowanuscag.org. In December 2024, EPA held a virtual community meeting on the second phase of the 8-million-gallon CSO tank construction. Site documents are available at EPA's office at 290 Broadway in Manhattan, the Carroll Gardens Library at 396 Clinton Street in Brooklyn, and the Joseph Miccio Community Center at 110 West 9th Street in Brooklyn. For direct questions, contact the EPA team listed in the site profile.