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Computer rendering of the waterfalls by the Public Art Fund.
Details have emerged on the ambitious, $15 million East River waterfalls project coming to New York in mid-July to cap off the Olafur Eliasson retrospective at MoMa. The project will consist of four man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120-foot tall, installed temporarily at four sites along the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island: by the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35, and on the north shore of Governors Island. The waterworks will flow from 7am to 10pm seven days a week, will be lit after sunset, and operate from July to October.
Anticipating a backlash from environmentalists, the city was quick to promise that the project will not harm any aquatic life in the East River. Fish like Blinky and other life forms will be protected by filtering the water through intake pools suspended in the river. A lawyer for the environmental group Riverkeeper tells the Sun that after consulting with the city, he's persuaded that the project will be fish friendly: “The amount of water being withdrawn is fairly minimal, and even considering the low levels of withdrawal, they've taken a fairly aggressive approach to mitigate the impact.”
To be energy efficient, project organizers have pledged to use pumps powered by the East River’s tidal water current and utilize low-impact lighting such as the LEDs used for the new New Year’s Ever ball. They’ll also tithe the guilt away by buying carbon offsets to neutralize the project's emissions.
The waterfalls are being financed privately and implemented by The Public Art Fund but, judging from the revenue brought in by The Gates, the Mayor’s office is guesstimating $55 million in economic benefit for the city. Mayor Bloomberg said, "These waterfalls will be just as awe-inspiring as any found in nature. They really must be seen to be believed."
There is a website but the information isn’t flowing on it yet; at this point it’s just a url-holder telling visitors to check back “in a New York minute.” We have some more details and a map after the jump.
- The East River Waterfalls will run from mid-July to mid-October.
- The waterfalls will be constructed on scaffolding intended to mimic the look of buildings under construction.
- Viewers will be able to see multiple waterfalls from various vantage points in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island.
- The Circle Line will provide free and discounted trips daily for the public.
- The free Governors Island Ferry will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the length of the project.
- The Public Art Fund is working with Con Ed, who will provide the green energy for the project through Con Ed Solutions.
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Hmmm, can they dye the water orange and charge us $10 million more.
This could be really great!
The reason it's such an expensive project, is that the waterfalls will actually lead to 'The Land of The Lost', and interdimensional portal construction costs being what they are, it isn't a cheap endeavor. Also, in this day and age you can't scrimp on Sleestack security measures. You wouldn't want one of those getting loose at the South Street Seaport.
Mayor Bloomberg said, "These waterfalls will be just as awe-inspiring as any found in nature. They really must be seen to be believed."
Come on now.
You KNOW the environmental extremists will find some single cell organism or something that needs 'protection' from this...
hooray! this is going to be great! i love how this city will shell out the big bucks for TEMPORARY public art. i mean, i really do (totally not being sarcastic, i swear).
For the cost of this stupid project you can pay for 1,538,461 people to take the train round trip from Penn Station to Patterson, New Jersey where they can see The Great Falls of Patterson, which is a real waterfall. The downside is that you have to go to Patterson.
Here is an idea, take the $15 million and spend it on art classes for public school children. That would be a much better way to spend the money!
LOL, "Eat" River. Sorry, I laughed.
Glenn: If that's the case, then thank God for extremeists.
What a waste. I like Toby's idea better.
And Emily, if you look real close, you'll see Marshall, Will and Holly standing next to Mayor Bling in the third picture. They've aged.
Wait.
Wait.
I gotta think for a second.
Um.
My taxes are going to a fake, temporary waterfall? Is this right? Am I missing something here?
I'm going to assume that I misunderstood something here. I couldn't imagine $15 million being spent on something like that with everything else going on in the city.
I think it's horribly wrong for my tax dollars to go towards such garbage.
protecting east river wildlife, that's rich.
i hate this sort of art. it smacks of man's arrogance in the face of nature.
the great falls of patterson were also featured in the sopranos, someone got whacked there. check it out.
maybe this will encourage some fake artists to go over the fake falls in a barrel, a la Naigara Falls and free up some sweet apartments in Williamsburg and the LES!
The Public Art Fund is funded by contributions by private donors and events (I attended one a few years back, 10g's for a table). It's not your money being spent, relax and enjoy it.
If I'm not mistaken this is funded by donations, not tax dollars.
Still seems like a bit of a waste, I'd sure like to see people donate $10 million for something more, um...whats the word...practical?
But whatever, should be interesting to see.
Is there nothing the snarky, knee-jerk, anti-RTFA Gothamist trolls will not decry?
The waterfalls are being financed privately and implemented by The Public Art Fund
Don't like it? Then use your own money to fund something else. You idiots never cease to amaze me.
This is so stupid.
I don't like it.
awe inspiring? I think not. rivals nature? really?
seen to be believed?
Fair points, #13/#15... but if I had $15 million on hand, I could probably find something more worthwhile to do with it, especially when arts education is being cut all over the city (including my daughter's school).
Aren't there still hoomeless people in this city?
the Gates sucked, so will this
Hmmm... can't wait to kayak under them. That should be interesting!
A kayaking friend that I just sent this out to wrote:
"I'm really excited about the $15 million they are devoting to marsh grass replantings along the East River to restore habitat for a variety of birds that will be a permanent beauty for us to enjoy! Oh wait, that's not happening..."
Besides the (obvious) large waste of money being spent here. Why fuck with the Brooklyn Bridge? A fake waterfall makes this seem far too much like a theme-park. Or is that what we are trying to achieve in the city now?
No public taxpayer funds are being used to pay for the project. The project is funded entirely by private contributions.
It might not be taxpayer's money, but still, it's a lot of dough for a temporary vanity project. Even if I can't wait to kayak under it or not.
I think this is great. Public art has a value- not just a potential $55 million economic benefit- but it also unifies people and forces non-artistic people to exercise a part of their brain that they may not ever use. Art opens peoples minds. And this project will expose that to people who otherwise don't take the time to appreciate it...
If this were taxpayer's money, I'd have a different perspective, though I still wouldn't deny the priceless value of this type of project. And I commend The Public Art Fund for executing this project in a sustainable way.
And to all those grumps out there- don't tell me you aren't going to walk by it one day and say- damn, that's pretty cool.
We should also consider the ecological benefits of the project.
Being that it's the east river, it is highly loaded with nutrients from run off, which cause algae to grow and then die. When they die the bacteria which break them down, consume oxygen, reducing the viability for other oxygen-breathing species, like fish.
By circulating the water in the east river, the waterfalls will cause aeration of the water, reducing the BOD and increasing the habitat quality of the east river.
I wish they designed it to stay...