Gowanus Clean-Up Backed by Bankrupt Firm

The seriously dirty Gowanus Canal is about to get some clean-up help from a local chemical company that has two dirty plants in Red Hook. There is just one little catch and that's that the company just happens to be bankrupt.

Connecticut-based Chemtura Corporation is helping foot the bill of the canal clean-up. The company agreed to put up $3.9 million as reported by the Department of Justice. Though there has been no timetable locked down, the feds are sure that the entire amount will be paid in cash.

The lack of timetable is partially based on the fact that Chemtura is currently undergoing bankruptcy filings. The company will pay its share within 30 days of its bankruptcy proceedings closure.

Chemtura isn't the only business paying up to clean the fetid waters of the Gowanus Canal. Other solvent polluters like the city itself and National Grid are also contributing to the efforts though Chemtura seems to be paying the most.

For fifty years Chemtura operated two different manufacturing plants at the end of Court Street in Red Hook. During that time, hazardous substances were leaked into the environment and the surrounding water. The pollution even went so far as to affect Red Hook Park. The contaminants include PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls.

Clean up for the canal is expected to take at least a decade.

Source -

The Brooklyn Paper, "Bankrupt firm to help 'pay' for Gowanus clean-up"