Gowanus Gunk
Regardless of where you stand on the Superfund issue, everyone agrees that the Gowanus Canal needs a clean-up. In case anyone was still on the fence about it, this photo taken after this week’s rains gives a good sense of just how gross it can get. “Pretty disgusting, no?” asks Pardon Me For Asking, which ran this photo and a few others this morning. On the bright side: At least folks in Gowanus are practicing safe sex.
my fave is “waterfront”.
Cleaning the canal will not remove this gunk after the rain. Its a problem with runoff from the street which is a problem of the sewer system. You have to fix the infrastructure first- then you can clean the canal. Otherwise- you will be constantly cleaning the canal to deal with the runoff.
“esplanade???????” ROTFLMMFAO
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02152008/news/regionalnews/gowanus_condo_plan_97724.htm
“We’re not only talking about bringing much needed housing, but building an esplanade that will finally open up public access to the canal for the first time in many years, the same way waterfront access is now being opened up in Williamsburg,” said David Von Spreckelsen
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I highly recommend the article. David Von Spreckelsen drops in this little gem: “I like to go canoeing in the canal with my kids, so I’m not concerned about the contamination,”
Same with my niece, ditto. I’m mad mad about it, too.
I say we turn Gracie Mansion into a canal-side palazzo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24gowanus.html:
The “garbage†in and along the mile-and-a-half-long canal includes pesticides, heavy metals and carcinogens like PCBs from more than a century’s worth of industrial activity. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency said that the contamination posed a public health hazard…
City officials and many residents fear that the Superfund label, reserved for the worst contamination in the country and evoking health emergencies like the Love Canal debacle of the 1970s, could deter new development in Gowanus, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook….
City officials said that the listing could jeopardize more than $500 million committed to the waterfront for two private projects involving more than 1,200 housing units.
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This sounds like the plot of a movie about sick, evil people. THESE “CITY OFFICIALS” SHOULD BE FORCED TO BATHE IN IT
Superfund is not the same thing as sewer overflows — EPA has said that Superfund won’t help the sewer issues which cause stink and nastiness after rainstorms.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/19/32_19_mm_superfund.html
that picture is mad grainy!!!
*rob*