PUBLIC LABORATORY FOR OPEN TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

CAN WE HELP SOLVE OUR SEWAGE PROBLEM ?

using high resolution DIYaerials, we discovered cluesto buried streams

we found springs that could be easily diverted from overloaded sewers and mappeda strategy for restoring urban streams

USING DIY AERIALS AND OLD MAPS TO FIND BURIED STREAMS TO SOLVETOXIC SEWER POLLUTION PROBLEMS AND MAP RESTORATION SITES

Accountability - Meet your community mapper

GOWANUS CANAL SUPERFUND SITE, BROOKLYN, NY

2012

, Dec

embe

r,

Nata

sia S

idarta

, Gow

anus

Can

al Co

nser

vanc

y

p

hoto

by S

han

Jaya

kum

ar

Rob

Buch

anan

/ Ne

w Yo

rk C

ity W

ater

Tra

il Citiz

ens W

ater

Testi

ng P

rogr

am

CREEK SCENE INVESTIGATIONTREES MATTER:We found out that the largest trees in the watershedwere often growing on old springs. Studying our highresolution balloon aerials for “CSI” clues prompted us to inspect local storm grates and shorelines. Wefound clean water from historic farm springs divertedinto combined sewers, causing unnecessary pollutioninto the Gowanus Canal. Piecing together all theseclues we were able to remap our forgotten streams.

We reported these springs to the City as part of theirGreen Infrastructure Plan to reduce sewer overflows.As part of Community planning, Canal streets endwith buried streams will be prioritized for Water Parks.

but ice is melting.. Why ?

PUDDLES COUNT:We discovered that most of ourParks and Playgrounds are builton landfilled farm ponds andsprings. Our open spaces aregreat opportunities for better managing our rain water.

FARM SPRINGDIVERTED TOSEWER

LARGE TREE

2014 - Well cap discovered near large tree. 2012 Balloon aerial with “Ghost Stream” that revealed landfilled stream.2012 - Balloon Aerial of the former site of Brouwer’s Farm, the oldest settled part of watershed.

The CSI Crime Victim:death by sewage asphyxiation

2014 - Map of the Reconstructed Historic Streams of the GowanusWatershed with the CSI Forensics Team that made it possible

Plants onlygrowinghere.. Why ?

2012 - Balloon Aerial of Denton’s Spring, a historical tidal mill water point: darker spring water is diluting milky sewage.

2011 Ice aerial of 4th Street Basin showing Vechte’s Brook melting ice in January.

2011 - Vechte’s Brook - Gowanus Canal Conservancy Grassroots Mapper Hans Hesselein breaking the ice to clear a path for the balloon photography cameracanoe team taking DIY aerial pictures of historic stream clues.

2014 - Staats Brook - After Gowanus stream are rediscovered, they are monitored forflow and quality by the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club as part of a City wide Citizen Science Water Quality Testing Program run by the New York City Water Trail.

2014 - Prospect Park; Amara and Asha, detectives from Gowanus CSI (Creek SceneInvestigation) have discovered that several watershed streams originate from artesian springs in Prospect Park, which may now be drained to combined sewers.

NEVINS STREET

SACK

ETT STR

EET

STREET CREEKS:A planning strategy for rebuilding our streams

2012 - Atema Architecture / www.flowcollaborative.comProposed gravity fed urban street creek system.

2014

, Apr

il,

phot

o by

Mika

el Le

vin

18 June 2014 - White House Maker Faire WWW.PUBLICLAB.ORG Contact: eymund@gmail.com or liz@publiclaboratory.org

1880 map showing original now buried Gowanus streams. 2012 - Denton’s Spring

2012 - Grassroots Mapper launching a kite camera