Bioswale Project Planned Near the Gowanus Canal

Last night at a Community Board 6 environmental committee meeting the Gowanus Canal Conservancy presented plans for a “6th Street Green Corridor,” a bioswale installation on 6th Street between 4th and 2nd Avenues. The idea of the bioswales is to capture storm water from nearby parking lots, streets and sidewalks and use it to grow “green street gardens,” including trees, shrubs, perennials, tree guards and signage. In turn, the bioswales are expected to improve Gowanus water quality by reducing the volume and frequency of CSOs, combined sewer overflows. (This work isn’t associated with the Superfund site.) The Gowanus Canal Conservatory expects to install six bioswales this spring. The installation will be followed by three years of monitoring, after which the project will be turned over to the Parks Dept. Some CB6 members criticized the project on the grounds that it’s costly and won’t have much of an impact on the area. (The total project budget is just over $900,000.) “We’re having a heart attack right now,” one member said, referring to the canal. “We don’t just need to lower our cholesterol, we need to shock the community into doing something bigger.” Others said it’s a step in the right direction. “It’s a drop in the bucket,” said one board member, “But at least it’s not a drop in the canal.”