In today's editorial notebook column in the New York Times, Superfund for the Gowanus gets the nod from Eleanor Randolph.

The mayor and his team are particularly worried about how a
Superfund site would affect the real estate market, especially a few
possibilities for larger developments in the area. Instead of being
“stigmatized” by the SF label as they put it, they favor the
“Superfund Alternative” plan. Although there are few details at
this point, that effort would be run by the city and overseen by the
Environmental Protection Agency. Every year, the city would need to
cobble together funds from the Corps of Engineers and other agencies to
help clean up the area to E.P.A.’s satisfaction. The city could only
plead with polluters to help pay.

With so many pollutants and so
many polluters, this looks like a job for Superfund. Brooklyn can
handle the label. Residents already enjoy bragging about their survival
or joking about living near the canal’s dark humors. Why else have a
popular bar called the Gowanus Yacht Club? They just want the cleanup
done and done right.