The Gowanus Canal
Originally called “Gowanes Creek,” by the Dutch, this waterway is named after Chief Gouwane of the Canarsee, a local Lenape tribe. While the Canarsee used the banks of the creek for farming, the Dutch East India Company built a gristmill on the shore in 1645; another followed soon after. By the early 19th century, as population boomed in Brooklyn and surrounding the creek, the Gowanus began its life as a transportation channel and makeshift sewer system. In 1849, the New York Legislature made the decision to turn the creek into an official shipping channel, and the formation of the 1.8 mile long, 100 foot wide Gowanus Canal was complete by 1869.
Although its use as a shipping channel declined in the 20th century, we still see the effects of the canal’s industrial past today. In 2010, the Gowanus Canal was designated a Superfund Site by the Environmental Protection Agency. The cleanup of the Gowanus Canal is projected to cost $506 million, and will not be complete for several years. This involves dredging up the layer of industrial sludge, called “black mayonnaise,” coating the bottom of the canal, which is as thick as 20 feet in some places. Because heavy rain often sends combined sewage overflow into the canal, in 2015 New York City built Sponge Park, which catches storm water and contaminants before they’re able to reach the canal. As part of the Gowanus rezoning, the city is also building two large sewage overflow tanks along the canal.
More than 100 cargo ships traversed the canal every day at its peak, and the land surrounding the canal became a hub for processing and manufacturing. While coal processing was the primary industry--there were at least 22 coal processing plants on the banks of the canal--there were also factories that produced cement, soap, paint, and sulfur, as well as tanneries, machine shops, chemical plants, and gristmills. All of these produced an incalculable amount of industrial waste, which poured straight into the waterway; millions of gallons of raw sewage still poured into the canal every day.