Jul 28, 2009 6:35 pm US/Eastern
Polluted Gowanus Canal May Get Needed Makeover
Non-Profit Group, NYC Councilman & Architecture Firm Unite To Put End To Murky, Smelly Waters Off Brooklyn
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
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The polluted Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn may soon get a much-needed makeover.
CBS
The murky waters of the Gowanus Canal are known for being polluted and causing a stink after a heavy rain. One non-profit organization has teamed up with a local architect in hopes of cleaning the canal's water and turning its banks into a park.
It may not look like it but it is one of the most polluted waterways in New York. Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal is just under 2 miles long and only 100 feet wide, but beneath its still waters is a century's worth of poison.
"The canal was initially a bunch of creeks that were built in the 1800s," said Lauren Elvers Collins of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. "Back then factories would dump into the canal. There were all kinds of contaminants coming out of what was being produced."
Environmental Protection Agency reports show mercury, lead and even arsenic lying in the sediment at the bottom of the canal. The water is also being polluted by toxins from nearby streets and raw sewage from an overwhelmed sewer system.
"When it rains a lot it messes up the whole works," Collins said.
But that could soon change.
"We in the city are putting in dollars and it's in two ways. There's some that's just to beautify the area and do environmental work and then there's a major development project that will build both affordable and market rate housing," said Councilman David Yassky, D-Brooklyn.
A total eco-friendly makeover of the canal would cost tens of millions of dollars. But the city has already allocated $638,000 in capital funds to start the clean up by turning a small area into a Sponge Park.
"It's basically a permeable landscape, a series of layers of gravel and plants and water that help to remediate surface run off water," said Susannah Drake of the environmental firm dlandstudio.
Drake, a landscape architect, plans to use trees and plants like clover that can actually absorb and break down biological toxins.
"The influent that comes in will come out as cleaner but nutrient-rich water," Drake said.
Supporters admit it will take several years and a tremendous amount of money to turn the Gowanus Canal into a truly green space. But they say it's worth it.
"People need to and they love to be able to reconnect with the water," Yassky said. "This is one of our best opportunities for that if we take advantage."
Construction on the Sponge Park is scheduled to begin this fall. Supporters hope it will lead to cleaner and better smelling water along the Gowanus Canal.
For more information on the Gowanus cleanup,
click here.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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