LOST STREAM OF THE GOWANUS Community Research Resource Draft

Will Eisner – On The Waterfront

A Quick Overview of Gowanus Canal Watershed Historic Stream Research

“Sludgie” Superfund mascot: Anna Martin 2009

How can we help improve

water quality for us folks that use

the water ?

Gino Muskratelli, Superfund Mascot interview candidate, drawn by Vince Mussachia, 2011 Aerial: 14 March 2012, Doc Searles, via Public Laboratory

Manhattan

Gowanus Watershed

The Canal

Historic Landfilled Tidal Marsh (sponge)

Massive Landscape Transformation with landfilling and hardening of Watershed Local Community Groups are gathering data to improve water quality

1766 Historical Watershed Modeling by Lucas Kronawitter, 2011

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2012

THE GOWANUS CANAL A VALLEY WITH A TIDAL MARSH

Proposed Third Ave Storm Sewer IS THERE A BETTER DESIGN ?

Because of excess runoff, the Gowanus Canal gets an average of over a million gallons a day of sewage.

This is huge Community issue. The Superfund Plan will require sewage overflows to be dramatically reduced.

Over a 1000 people a year use the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club’s canoes on the Canal.

We are interested in improving water quality and have been researching sites that can help the City achieve it’s Green Infrastructure and water quality goals The FIRST STREET BASIN LANDFILL is one of those sites because it still has historic streams running under it.

First Street Basin Landfill will need to be excavated under Superfund program

LAND (non naturale)!

1776!2009, Eymund Diegel, Potential Extent of Superfund Area, based on Culligan Columbia Sanborn Study

GOWANUS CANAL POLLUTION: +/- 178 Acres of contaminated area Canal water is a federal Superfund site

= proposals for new housing means greater interest in water quality

Citizen Science Water Testing Program

We are working with the City to make things better

Test Site One

GOWANUS CANAL RIVER PROJECT TEST SITES Test Site One had Enterococcus Counts of up to 24,000 cfu per 100 ml Test Site Two had Zero Why ? FRESH WATER INFLOWS http://www.nycwatertrail.org/water_quality_test.html

FIRST STREET RIGHT OF WAY

Test Site Two

2011 Balloon Aerial

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Reappearance of Denton’s Pond during Whole Foods site remediation

Test Site One

Test Site Two

RIVER PROJECT / GOWANUS DREDGERS 2012 WATER QUALITY TEST SITES

DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT WATER QUALITY RESULTS BECAUSE OF POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF FRESH WATER INFLOWS

Test

Site Two

RECONSTRUCTING THE PATH OF THE GOWANUS WATERSHED’S HISTORIC STREAMS BY MAPPING VEGETATION PATTERNS USING BALLOON CAMERAS WEEDS GROWING THROUGH CONCRETE TRACK OLD STREAM BED

VIDEO OF STREAM LOCATED WITH AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY VEGETATION MAPPING http://www.flickr.com/photos/51802375@N04/8245432643/in/set-72157632146485724

RECONSTRUCTING THE PATH OF THE GOWANUS WATERSHED’S HISTORIC STREAMS… How can we get rainwater out of the sewers and back into the historical stream system ? Dredgers & Conservancy Stream Mapping Program

ArcHydro Gowanus Watershed Flow Map by Eymund Diegel, 2010, based on a 2004 Digital Elevation Model. The blue lines represent the way rainwater would flow if their were no buildings or street drains. Though hypothetical, the flow directions gives clues to the path of historic stream beds, major street regradings, and potential underground aquifer flows. The blue blobs represent “sinks” or pools in the contours where rainwater would tend to pond. These all represent “opportunity sites” for Green Infrastructure to improve the Canal’s water quality. I have found this model accurately depicts why my neighbor’s basement floods on Sackett Street (the old Bergen Creek watercourse) and the best places to look for remnants of stream outflows.

Bergen Creek

Brouwer’s Brook

Sassian Stream

Denton’s Spring

Denton’s Pond

Coles Pond

Vechte’s Spring

HISTORIC GOWANUS TIDAL MARSH

POTENTIAL STREAM OUTFLOW SITE

Brouwer’s Spring

HISTORIC GOWANUS STREAMS

1766 American Revolution Battle Site. Eligible for Federal commemoration funds, with building site identified as a potential commemoration candidate by Gowanus Superfund Archeological Report Battle of Long Island at Denton’s Mill, painted by Alonzo Chappel, 1858

First Street Basin Denton’s Spring Site is a Revolutionary War Site

First Street Basin Denton’s Spring Site is Revolutionary War Site that should be restored as a Water Mill reconstruction and community Environmental Education Center

CURRENT PLAN: Where DEP Concrete Pipe storm sewer pipe would come out

BETTER PLAN: Divert Stormwater to reestablish flow of existing historic stream on City owned land

circuit boards

Where Denton’s Spring currently flows into Canal

CANAL WATERFRONT IS RAPIDLY CHANGING: MULTIPLE HOUSING PROPOSALS An Opportunity to implement Water Sensitive Urban Design

First Street Basin Site

Existing Dredgers Boat House

Proposed Lightstone Development

Powerhouse Environmental Arts Foundation Site

ECOLOGICAL (HISTORICAL) WATER CYCLE (Denton’s Spring Restoration)

URBAN WATER CYCLE (Proposed Third Ave High Level Storm Sewer)

IT RAINS

WATER GOES INTO PIPE

CONDENSATION

EVAPORATION

INFILTRATION & HISTORIC STREAM RESTORATION

IT RAINS

SOME WATER GOES INTO PIPE

WHAT WE WANT 2011, Lukas Kronawitter, Terreform One, Water Sensitive Urban Design for the Gowanus Canal

Denton’s Spring Restoration

Proposed Third Ave Storm Sewer Rerouting Alternative

Runoff Direction

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MILLION GALLONS A DAY OF SEWAGE REDUCED BY 34% BY 2013. BY REROUTING MORE STORM WATER TO CANAL SIDE BASINS EVEN HIGHER REDUCTION COULD BE ACHIEVED

Flushing Tunnel BRINGS IN 220,000

GALLONS OF CLEANER WATER A DAY FROM EAST RIVER

Gowanus Canal Third Ave Storm Sewer Rerouting Proposal

Base Map: Sponge Park Concept by dlandstudio / Gowanus Canal Conservancy (overlays for discussion only and do not necessarily reflect Conservancy or dlandstudio views)

From East River

PROPOSED THIRD AVE STORM SEWER REROUTING

General “Blueways” Concepts discussed at Community Advisory Group Water Quality meetings as part of Sponge Park discussions

SEWAGE OUTFLOW FROM WEST OF CANAL (ELIMINATED)

SEWAGE OUTFLOW FROM SOUTH (REMAINS)

X

COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP WANT SEWER OVERFLOWS BROUGHT TO ZERO, EITHER BY NEW STORM DRAINS, BLUEWAYS OR SEWER HOLDING TANKS

SEWAGE FROM EAST OF CANAL (REMAINS)

NEW BLUEWAY “STREET CREEKS” BEING STUDIED

How can City work with historic opportunities of the site ?

Street Creek Concept: Ate Atema Architects 2011

Denton’s Spring Site

Ate Atema Architects Conceptual First Street Basin 2011 redevelopment proposal

POWERHOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL ARTS FOUNDATION PURCHASED SITE IN 2012

NEW STREAM DAYLIGHTING CONCEPTS BEING EXPLORED FOR CANAL WATERFONT

Volunteer Groups are ready to work with you to restore our water quality. How can we help ?

2012 photo of Gowanus Canal Conservancy / Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club street end replanting programs

Like This ? Check out Lost Rivers

http://vimeo.com/50839044