Video: Gowanus Canal's Latest Gross Out

The Brooklyn tornado took out a lot of trees earlier this month, but did you know it also transformed the Gowanus Canal into a flowing body of raw sewage? Check it out below, it's just like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory except—strike that, reverse it—it is not at all like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. [Warning: You may want to watch this after lunch.]

First gonohorrea, and now this. Superfund: Activate! [via Brownstoner]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on September 27, 2010 12:38 PM

Comments [rss]

wiseguynyc

It's New York's biggest paradox. It may be a first-class city but it has completely third-world infrastructure, be it our highways, subways, airports or in this case, sewage system.

John L

That's so disgusting.

I wonder if Kevin Costner's Water Filtration Invention could clean something like this up, if so give him whatever millions we wants and let's a few of them.

The machine works on the principle of centrifugal force. In this case, diesel fuel and water enter the machine together and are jettisoned separately, with water on one side and diesel on the other. The machine will clean the water up to 97 percent, officials with Ocean Therapy Solutions said.

OK, so that's a very basic explanation. There's obviously a bit more at work here, but for patent reasons (assumingly), the Costner brothers ain't talking. The cool thing is that the jump to 100 percent filtration is within reach — something one of the engineers said will allow you to drink the water being filtered from the machine.

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/how-kevin-costners-oil-filtration-tech-works

Hey it's worth a shot, if he gives us a money back guarantee.

jlocke

At least it's flowing, geeze!

exnyer

That water could be used to kill bed bugs.

DarkGemini

You see that? This is why we don't have nice things!

anonymous

Keep in mind, that was a pretty big storm dumping about half an in of water in about fifteen minutes.

sointense

I truly hope this video gets autotuned into a hit song.

JenChungsBaby

That's just the famous Gowanus Tidal Bore.

Jeez, where are you hicks from anyway?

robingee

Hicks are from places with nice clean lakes and rivers. Sounds good.

robingee

I thought the Gowanus Canal already was a flowing body of raw sewage. Welcome to the Ganges! America is a third world country.

The captions look like song lyrics.

Politburo

Most industrialized nations have combined sewer overflows.

robingee

Doesn't make it any less gross. How many waterways are NOT polluted beyond all repair?

Kojak

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/harborwater/nyc_waterbody_advisory.shtml

Click Gowanus Canal. lol Talk about a sea of red.

Kojak

The NYC Waterbody Advisory Program is a great app to know where to avoid the flow of floating doo doo.

Kojak

True. Even though overflows of raw sewage violates several State & Federal laws, separating sewers in large cities (Rainwater in one/Doo Doo in the other) is mind-numbingly expensive.

To be safe, try not to swim in any body of water near to any medium/large city after a rainstorm, unless you don't mind swimming on top of a turd belonging to a Benny Valone from Brooklyn.