Whole Foods Marks Gowanus Territory, Embraces Toxics

There has been no work done on the Whole Foods site in a long time, but it looks like the retailer has publicly claimed the site by putting up a sign proclaiming the land its domain. And, apparently, no one is shy about "Whole Foods" and "Hazmat" appearing in the same photo frame. On another front, we haven't seen any official notification, but we've been told that the retailers cleanup plan for the site at Third Avenue and Third Street has been accepted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

In case anyone wants a refresher about what's on the site, we were reminded yesterday when someone emailed us a link to a summary of the four big cleanup sites in Gowanus, along with their contents, that have been compiled by someone at Montclair State University in New Jersey working on an industrial archeology project. (Interest in our Gowanus runs far and wide.) The toxic include volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds (including napthalene and mixed xylenes), metals, benzene, acenaphthene, phenol and lead. Several of these are in groundwater at concentrations that Whole Foods says are not significant.

Related Posts:
The Ground Beneath Gowanus: Whole Foods Edition
Whole Foods Execs Say Toxics Are Under Control