Federal Agency Accelerates Gowanus Canal Cleanup

Liquid tar with the viscosity of motor oil is only one of a host of chemicals that contaminate the Gowanus Canal.

Some sections of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency seeks to restore, are cleaner than others. Amal Chen/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—Liquid tar with the viscosity of motor oil is only one of a host of chemicals that contaminate the Gowanus Canal.

Contamination leaches into the canal from a range of sources, such as open sewage pipes, and former manufactured gas plants. Floating dead fish and piles of trash are commonly seen. The depth of this contamination is more than 100 feet in some places, far too deep to reach.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published a Feasibility Study Draft, which explores options to clean up the canal.

On Jan. 24, they presented their findings to the residents who live near the canal.