What do People do at the Gowanus Canal ?
What Kind of Water Quality Do THEY Want ?
The Gowanus Canal gets a million gallons of sewage a day
The higher the water quality class, the less sewage allowed BAD SD -> I -> SC -> SB - SA GOOD WHAT WE HAVE - THE WORST THERE IS
Adam Katzman, 2011
YOU MAY ENJOY A HIGHER WATER QUALITY CLASS
Class SD Allows for Fish Survival (maybe) (the worst there is – no human health standards)
VS
Class SC Allows you to swim
(not perfect, but good enough – cant swim after heavy rain)
The higher the water quality class, the less sewage allowed BAD
SD WHAT WE HAVE
->
I
->
Flushing Tunnel (maybe)
SC
->
WHAT WE WANT (AVERAGE)
SB
- SA
GOOD
What East River Could be if Gowanus Cleaned
Manha%an
Historic Landfilled Tidal Marsh
The Canal
Gowanus Watershed
Nearly 50,000 people live within a 15 minute walk of the Gowanus Canal
What kind of activities do they use it for now ?
WORKING Jennifer Gardner, 2011
MAKING A LIVING Jennifer Gardner, 2011
SELLING FOOD Jennifer Gardner, Pratt Gowanus Studio, 2011
All pictures from Proteus Gowanus / Dredgers / Conservancy archives, Eymund Diegel, unless otherwise noted
BOATING (BUT LIMITED BARGING)
Carolyn Cole, LA Times, 2011
CANOEING
CANOEING & BOATING
BALLOONING WITH CANOES
BALLOONING
RECORDING THE WATER’S SOUNDS
Jonathan Barkey, 2004
KAYAKING
MORE CANOEING
CANOEING AFTER SEWER OVERFLOWS
BIRDING
DISCUSSING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
FALLING IN LOVE CANOEING Katia Kelly, Pardon Me For Asking, 2011
LOTS OF CANOEING Dan Wiley, 2011
Carolyn Cole, LA Times, 2011
Kevin Kerr, 2011
Meredith, 2007
PLAYING WITH WATER
TOUCHING WATER
www.dontflush.me
INSTALLING CSO SEWER FLOW METERS
PLAYING IN WATER
DIVING Mitsue Balan NY Times, 2079
INVOLUNTARY DIVING
Heather Leson, 2011
Katia Kelly, 2009
DUMPSTER DIVING Nathan Kensinger, 2009
RAFTING
Oceans of Blood, 2010
HOUSE BOATS Expedition Gowanus, 2011
GARDENING
MORE GARDENING Nicholas Tang, 2005
FARMING & EATING Krista Leahy, 2011
PLANTING GREEN ROOFS
KITE FLYING
PLAYING
LOTS OF PLAYING
FISHING
FISHING Lisanne, Found in Broiklyn, 2009
Jennifer Gardner, Pratt Gowanus Studio, 2011
OPEN AIR CLASS ROOM
UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS WORK
EDUCATING Krista Leahy, Pratt Gowanus Studio, 2011
TALKING TO THE PEOPLE Katia Kelly, 2011
Stephen Nessen, WNYC, 2009
Ben Mouessig, Brooklyn Paper, 2009
BUILDING COMMUNITY
CHATTING Jamie Hagen, 2009
STREET FAIRS Sam Polcer, Mokksha, 2009
SWINGING Sam Polcer, Mokksha, 2009
Matthew Caron, 2011
SHOWING OUTDOOR MOVIES
MAKING MOVIES
HBO, Bored to Death TV Series, 2011
MAKING STREET & WATER ART
PAINTING SUBWAY ART
PAINTING
Nathan Kensinger, 2009
LOTS OF ARTISTS Gowanus Canal Conservancy, 2011
SINGING OPERAS Lily Frances, Carroll Gardens Patch, 2011
MOTORCYCLING
Oceans of Blood, 2010
David Shanks, Lowline Design Competition
EXTREME BIKING
( simulation – do not try this without Dredger’s backup )
EXTREME BIKING RETRIEVAL
URBAN EXPLORING Steve Duncan / Rebecca Perdue, 2011
READING
DOG WALKING Jamie Hagen, 2009
CLEANING
CLEANING ON WATER
BICYCLING TO SCHOOL
WALKING
EXPLORING
WHAT WILL BE OUR LEGACY ?
Krista Leahy, Pratt Gowanus Studio, 2011
Images available for download at www.proteusgowanus.org or by Googling “Hall of the Gowanus”