Soaking Up A Difference

By: Autumn Blizzard

The Canal’s Savior

The Gowanus Canal is in grave danger, and the only way for us to save it is with the power of sponge parks! Imagine if the Gowanus Canal was transparent as glass, people canoeing and swimming in it’s non-toxic waters. This is only a dream but this dream can become a reality with just a park. Now I know you might be thinking, “what can a park do?” Well a sponge park is what the canal needs, it can be made up of plants that soak up water from storms that would normally be dumped into the canal along with other waste. There are other reasons why the sponge parks are beneficial but if you care about a brighter future for the canal and the well being for the environment around it, sponge parks are the solution.

What Are They?

A sponge park is a sort of constructed marshland to cope with the weather conditions that create CSOs (newsweek.com). CSOs is an abbreviation for combined sewage overflow, one of the many reasons why the Gowanus Canal is so polluted. The pollution in Gowanus Canal is also partly due to the excess water from rainstorms that are flushed into the canal along with other waste. Although there are more things polluting the canal like coal tar and oil, cleaning the Gowanus is a step by step process and the first and most impactful step is using sponge parks. According to “Asla.com” it said, “This innovative plan proposes strategies to divert excess storm water runoff for use in the public park along the canal, reducing the input of rainwater into the sewer system”. This further explains how the sponge parks will play a necessary role in reducing the water that would wind up in the canal by the plants in the park soaking up water. The $1.5 million proposal, which is expected to be complete in the summer of 2015 was envisioned by Susannah Drake of dlandstudio (asla.com).

Civil Relevance

We need to ask ourselves why is this issue relevant to people’s lives or to their community? After all cleaning the Gowanus Canal is more than just a beautification project. Cleaning the canal increases safety for children and other users who frequent the area. The canal is a focal point of the neighborhood, and cleaning it can be a way for people in the community to meet each other and start new friendships, helping to build community spirit. Therefore the Sponge Parks matter because they are beneficial to the Gowanus and its residents. Curtis a student that attends Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies said, “I think that the Sponge Park is a good idea since it will make the Gowanus Canal a lot cleaner and will use the Gowanus Canal for recreational reasons.” Arden Katine the 8th grade ela teacher also had to say, “I think Sponge Parks will make the neighborhood inviting while also helping clean the canal. I hope Sponge Parks also include a bike park!” 71 percent of the world is water (USGS Water Science School), so it’s best that the water is good for us. Once the Gowanus is clean we can drink it, swim in it, grow food with it, and just live because of it. We, especially the people who live in Gowanus don't want to be living around a body of water that can hurt us, make us sick, or even kill us.

The Final Answer

Recently an environmental activist named Christopher Swain age 47 swam across the notoriously nostril-burning, gut-wrenching Gowanus Canal. He didn’t swim for pleasure it was to prove a point and bring attention to an important dilemma. “Sometimes you have to just draw attention to a cause.” (Christopher Swain: Daily News). This event may not seem to be sane or sensible but bringing much-needed attention to the Gowanus canal is a start to addressing its problem. There are also other ways people are helping the canal. Some are joining the Gowanus Canal Conservancy to clean up around the Gowanus and recruiting others to help. Although cleaning and planting is beneficial, building this Sponge Park may mean a compromise for the residents. The park will require a lot space that may or may not be readily available. I believe that  the pros more than outweigh the cons. So if it means fewer businesses and housing apartments for the neighborhood, the park will be a great asset and is worth the sacrifice.