“Black mayonnaise” seeps into the Gowanus Canal’s only clean basin. That’s what Brad Vogel saw one Friday morning. He’s a local advocate and captain of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club. He was heartbroken. The Fourth Street Basin had been cleaned. Tons of liquid coal tar were removed. The remaining muck was capped. This was supposed to be a success story. A test pilot program for the whole canal.
The Fourth Street Basin is a small section of the Gowanus Canal. It’s located just south of Third Street. The canal curves west from here. The basin itself extends east. A short channel once connected it to a now-filled Fifth Street Basin. This was before the basin’s cleanup in 2018.
But the recent torrential rains changed everything. Raw sewage poured into the canal through Combined Sewer Overflows. This antiquated system mixes storm water and sewage. The sewage mixed with the “black mayonnaise”. It oozed into the supposedly clean area of the Fourth Street Basin. Vogel reported it to the EPA. They promised to consider a barrier. But the problem is deeper than a barrier can solve. The pollution might sink. It could settle on top of the caps. This would undo the entire cleanup.
The Fourth Street Basin’s future is uncertain. New York City is facing budget cuts due to the pandemic. Plans for sewage retention tanks are moving slowly. These tanks could hold millions of gallons of raw sewage. They could prevent it from entering the canal. But even with the tanks. There’s a rezoning proposal. This could bring thousands of new residents. A potentially active hurricane season adds another layer of worry.
Local blogger Katia Kelly echoed Vogel’s concerns. She worried that the pollution will settle too deep. Removing it would be nearly impossible. The Fourth Street Basin. Once a symbol of hope for the Gowanus Canal cleanup. Now it represents the challenges ahead. The future of this small basin and the entire Gowanus Canal remains as murky as its waters.