Gowanus Lounge: Serving Brooklyn

After the Storm: the Gowanus Gets Yummy

June 1st, 2008 · 2 Comments

Runoff in the Gowanus
[Photo courtesy of ethersong/flickr]

The acronym CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) many not mean a lot to many people, but it is what happens in the Gowanus whenever it rains hard enough. What it means is that storm sewers and sanitary sewers flow directly into the canal. (In raw terms, garbage and crap go right into the canal.) This is what happened during yesterday’s downpours. This photograph captures a taste of the aftermath, which is never pleasant.

Tags: Gowanus

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Anonymous // Jun 1, 2008 at 10:16 am

    but why was it bubbling? Friday, late morning we saw the gowanus bubbling (seriously) from the union st bridge

  • 2 Nokilissa // Jun 1, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    My God! I just threw up in my mouth a little.

    Is this likely to continue? Will it worsen with new development and resident influx?

    It seems that, given the plans for the canal in the near future, this is going to need to be addressed…