The Environmental Protection Agency confirmed today what everyone already suspected about the Gowanus Canal -- the beleaguered waterway is rife with a stew of cancer-causing chemicals and toxins that can endanger humans, animals, and the environment.

The not-so-shocking results are the first phase of a federal investigation into just what makes the 1.8-mile waterway so fetid, and, more important, where the gunk is coming from.

