Brooklyn has a new snow operations and composting facility in Gowanus.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia and Department of Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson on Thursday announced the completion of a $24 million snow operations and composting facility, which also includes an underground storage tank that will intercept and store up to 4 million gallons of sewage that would otherwise flow into the Gowanus Canal during rainstorms.
The 7,600-square-foot snow operations facility can store 6 million pounds of road salt and has storage space for up to 75 plow blades and brine tanks. Rooftop solar panels generate 79,600 watts of renewable energy to power lighting and equipment on-site, officials said.
“This is what public service looks like: the year-round, often unseen labor of city workers who make our streets safer and our environment healthier," Mamdani said in a statement.
The composting facility, operated by Big Reuse, can process 600,000 pounds of food scraps, yard waste and wood chips each year, turning waste into a resource for communities.
The project also clears the way for the Owls Head Combined Sewage Overflow Facility, part of the Superfund cleanup of the Gowanus Canal. The facility includes a 4‑million‑gallon underground tank and support systems to capture and manage storm-related overflows. DEP recently completed deep underground perimeter walls for the tank, with excavation set to begin this spring.
Future phases will restore Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s public education outpost and construct two acres of waterfront open space, including restored tidal wetlands and a kayak launch, designed by SCAPE Landscape Architects.
A second project, the Red Hook CSO Facility, will add another 8 million gallons of storage capacity. Together, the two systems will capture up to 12 million gallons of combined sewage overflow during storms — a major step toward reducing pollution in the Gowanus Canal and strengthening neighborhood resilience.
“Every season now tests our resilience, and New York City is meeting that challenge with smart, climate ready investments,” said Garcia. “The new snow operations facility will ensure Brooklynites are protected before, during and after snowstorms and extreme cold like we saw in February, while renewed composting operations in the Gowanus community will help curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Also, once complete, the new wastewater infrastructure will significantly reduce sewer overflows into the Gowanus Canal, protecting the waterway against more frequent rainstorms.”
