Gowanus Canal 1st Street Turning Basin

Built in the mid-1800s for waterborne industrial transport, the 1.8-mile, 100-foot-wide Gowanus Canal is among the most notoriously contaminated waterways in the country. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than a dozen contaminants are found at high levels in the canal’s sediment, and the canal is on the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List. Combined sewer overflow discharge into the Gowanus Canal exacerbates these issues. AKRF is leading remedial design for the removal of contaminated material that was previously placed in the 1st Street turning basin and for restoring a 475-foot by 50-foot segment of the former basin with a wetland shelf. Our efforts include multiple field investigations, including environmental soil and groundwater sampling, geotechnical studies, topographic surveys, and marine bulkhead inspections to support the remedial design. AKRF also prepared an Environmental Assessment Statement pursuant to City Environmental Quality Review requirements.