EPA Agrees to Take a Hard Look at NYC’s Gowanus Canal Cleanup

The EPA has agreed to keep a close eye on the progress of construction needed to clean up the heavily contaminated Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, N.Y., the agency’s inspector general said on Thursday.

The construction of two combined sewer overflow (CSO) tanks for the Superfund site is six and a half years behind schedule, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog. Those delays could raise taxpayer costs for the cleanup and prolong the community’s exposure to contaminants.

The tanks are supposed to collect overflowing stormwater and wastewater and send it to a treatment plant, thereby preventing untreated water from ...