Checking in on the Gowanus

Does it seem like this is another overhyped weather pattern? Not so fast. Although New York is out of the path of Hurricane Sandy, the storm is still expected to bring 2-3 inches of rainfall in the next two days. And the storm surge has already had an effect. The Gowanus canal is flooding, which could cause a real mess.

The canal, a toxic superfund cleanup site, is filled with all sorts of nasty, including sewage, heavy metals, PCBs, coal tar waste, and other chemical pollutants. The scenario, foretold by New York Magazine, began being broadcast on Twitter around 9:30 Sunday night. A police car sits on second street broadcasting “evacuate to safety” to those residents who did not adhere to Sunday’s mandatory evacuation orders.

The water has overflown at 2nd Street, at 4th Street, at Degraw, and is on the precipice of breaching the Carroll Street bridge.

If you are still in this area, GET OUT. These are cancerous pollutants. The tide, which peaked at 9:30am, will peak again at 9:30pm. And we’re still expecting more rainfall.

Those living upslope and downwind, take heed.

Photo of the Gowanus spilling onto 2nd St by conormcd