By now, you should know not to go anywhere near the Gowanus Canal—if the cancer doesn't get you, the gonorrhea surely will. But while we know the many, many ways the canal is gross, we've yet to find someone to (at least partially) blame for the state of the canal...until now.
The owner of a commercial bus depot along the Gowanus Canal who allegedly dumped trash and motor oil into the already disgusting waterway has been hit with nearly a half million dollars in fines by the state. Among the things Jacob Marmurstein and his MCIZ Corporation are accused of dumping in the canal: concrete, rusty pipes, wood, construction debris, concrete railroad ties, metal, plastics, waste, and oil.
While the canal has been infested with toxins from industrial pollution for decades, way before industrial debris was even a twinkle in Marmurstein's eye, environmental group Riverkeeper says it's important to set up consequences for irresponsible businesses: "With this type of dedication to serious enforcement, polluters will get the message loud and clear that our waterways are not open sewers and dumping grounds."
Nevertheless, Marmurstein has been granted one substantial loophole: if he cleans up his pollution, his company will get $125,000 taken off his bill, according to Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Thomas Panzone. Getting monetary incentives to clean up what you fucked up in the first place? What is this, the banking industry?
