Introducing the Gowanus Canal.

By: Yeiry Ramos Santana

Have you ever seen clean, clear water, well if you have, you have not been to the Gowanus Canal because, the Gowanus Canal is the most polluted water, It’s ditty, and it smells really bad because of all the trash, and pollutants that is in it. The coal tar that it's stuck under the Gowanus Canal is not healthy for people animals and plants.

What is Coal Tar?

Coal Tar is a thick liquid produced by the destructive detection of bituminous coal (Encyclopedia Britannica). Hans Hesselein, a landscape architect who works for the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, said that most of the pollutants in the canal “are the waste from three former manufactured gas plants that once created municipal gas along the canal’s banks.” The manufactured gas plants produced a byproduct called coal tar, which they dumped directly into the canal. The coal tar contaminated the water and made it toxic to aquatic life. It’s also bad for people: Coal tar can cause cancer in humans if we come into contact with large amounts of it. (Gowanus Canal The 500 Million Makeover). The coal tar in the Gowanus Canal come from years and years ago. The companies are not allowed to dump coal tar anymore because of  The Clean Water Act of 1972. The CWA 1972 is  the Act's common name with amendments in 1972.

What's the big problem?

Coal tar is a big problem because itś affecting us as humans beings. According to (Everydayhealth.com) “FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether coal tar topical will harm an unborn baby. Do not use this medicine without a doctor's advice if you are pregnant.” This is showing that Coal tar could affect unborn babies. “Some of these preparations are available only with your doctor's prescription.” (Mayoclinic.org) Also according to http://www.britannica.com/science/coal-tar it said, It’s also bad for people,¨Coal tar can cause cancer in humans if we come into contact with large amounts of it.¨

Whatś the NEXT step they would make?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal that would includes removing all the pollutions that are in the Gowanus Canal. The introduce plan also includes controls to prevent wasted water overflows and other land-based sources of contamination from compromising the cleanup. The cost of the cleanup plan is expected to be between $467 and $504 million. EPA Proposes Plan for Cleaning Up Gowanus Canal; Multi-million Dollar Cleanup to Revitalize Polluted Brooklyn Waterway. According to Nayeli Campos one of the Brooklyn for Collaborative Studies 8th grade students said her opinion about the new changes that would be in the gowanus canal, “ I don’t think it should be a “Green Park” because they are not trying to make it look beautiful, they are supposed to make it clean” she said. I think this would help by ONLY caring about that its should look clean NOT beautiful.