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PUBLIC LABORATORY FOR OPEN TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE CAN WE HELP SOLVE OUR SEWAGE PROBLEM ? using high resolution DIY aerials, we discovered clues to buried streams we found springs that could be easily diverted from overloaded sewers and mapped a strategy for restoring urban streams USING DIY AERIALS AND OLD MAPS TO FIND BURIED STREAMS TO SOLVE TOXIC SEWER POLLUTION PROBLEMS AND MAP RESTORATION SITES Accountability - Meet your community mapper GOWANUS CANAL SUPERFUND SITE, BROOKLYN, NY 2012, December, Natasia Sidarta, Gowanus Canal Conservancy photo by Shan Jayakumar Rob Buchanan / New York City Water Trail Citizens Water Testing Program CREEK SCENE INVESTIGATION TREES MATTER: We found out that the largest trees in the watershed were often growing on old springs. Studying our high resolution balloon aerials for “CSI” clues prompted us to inspect local storm grates and shorelines. We found clean water from historic farm springs diverted into combined sewers, causing unnecessary pollution into the Gowanus Canal. Piecing together all these clues we were able to remap our forgotten streams. We reported these springs to the City as part of their Green Infrastructure Plan to reduce sewer overflows. As part of Community planning, Canal streets end with buried streams will be prioritized for Water Parks. but ice is melting.. Why ? PUDDLES COUNT: We discovered that most of our Parks and Playgrounds are built on landfilled farm ponds and springs. Our open spaces are great opportunities for better managing our rain water. FARM SPRING DIVERTED TO SEWER 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 Gowanus Watershed with the CSI Forensics Team that made it possible Plants only growing here.. 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 camera canoe team taking DIY aerial pictures of historic stream clues. 2014 - Staats Brook - After Gowanus stream are rediscovered, they are monitored for flow 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 Scene Investigation) have discovered that several watershed streams originate from artesian springs in Prospect Park, which may now be drained to combined sewers. NEVINS STREET SACKETT STREET STREET CREEKS: A planning strategy for rebuilding our streams 2012 - Atema Architecture / www.flowcollaborative.com Proposed gravity fed urban street creek system. 2014, April, photo by Mikael Levin 18 June 2014 - White House Maker Faire WWW.PUBLICLAB.ORG Contact: [email protected] or [email protected] 1880 map showing original now buried Gowanus streams. 2012 - Denton’s Spring 2012 - Grassroots Mapper launching a kite camera
