Nearly two years after the Gowanus rezoning’s passage, signs of change are all around: demolition projects and new builds are transforming the neighborhood. According to the Department of City Planning, roughly half of the expected 8,500 apartments along the canal are in planning or construction stages.
“We want people to understand that at the end of the day, we’re not talking about an obscure number of properties,” said Joshua Klainberg, the senior vice president for the NYLCVEF. “We’re saying through this analysis, one in five New Yorkers is drinking water from a service line that is lead or possible lead.”
A known carcinogen, Tetrachloroethylene is a chemical often used as a solvent for dry cleaning, and now fugitive traces of PERC can be found in many places around the city, including brownfields in The Bronx.
About 20 houses in South Jamaica are prone to sewer backups every few months, say homeowners, some of whom have dealt with the issue for more than a decade. But because the sewer line is on private property, the residents are left to contend with the problem on their own.
Environmental advocates say New York’s proposed new rules don’t go far enough to limit the contaminants, which can lead to reproductive issues and developmental delays.
‘Recent research shows that long-term exposure to particulate-matter air pollution increases the likelihood of severe COVID-19 outcomes. And people of color are disproportionately affected.’
With a few clicks of the delete button, New York State this week made a significant change to how the federal Clean Water Act applies to the waters around New York City.
‘Bronx communities can no longer shoulder the burden of upstream negligence.’
‘The City Council vote is the first of a series of land use decisions for the neighborhood and provides an opportunity to thoughtfully plan for the future of Gowanus.’
The city’s 600 miles of coastline and centuries of underground infrastructure are a lot to police for the murky problems of illicit sewage connections and illegal dumping. Here’s how New Yorkers can help.
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