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Read the press release here.

EPA Wants More Public Input on Gowanus Canal Cleanup

By Leslie Albrecht | February 12, 2013 5:15pm

GOWANUS — The public will get more time to weigh in on a $500 million plan to clean up the toxic Gowanus Canal.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced recently that the deadline to submit comments on the cleanup is now April 27, and the agency will hold a public meeting Wednesday night in Red Hook to answer questions about the proposed cleanup.

The EPA's plan calls for removing decades of pollution from the manmade waterway, long a dumping ground for nearby industrial businesses. The recent death of a dolphin that swam into the toxin-tainted canal spurred an outcry for swift action on the cleanup, which will take several years to complete.

But locals have questioned aspects of the EPA's proposal, which could result in toxic sludge being treated at a facility in Red Hook, and a sewage tank being buried beneath a public pool in Gowanus.

Wednesday's public meeting on the EPA's cleanup proposal is at 6:30 p.m. at P.S. 15, 71 Sullivan St. in Red Hook. Read more about the cleanup on the EPA's website.