Dredging In The Polluted Gowanus: Two Whole Cars Were Just Fished Out Of The Canal

Mention the Gowanus Canal to anyone in the Gowanus neighborhood and they will inevitably wonder aloud what one may find buried beneath its fetid waters. History buffs have guessed that the toxic black sludge that has accumulated over decades at the bottom of the canal may hold artifacts from the Battle of Brooklyn which was fought nearby. Author Jonathan Lethem describes the Gowanus Canal as "the only body of water in the world that is 90 percent guns" in his book Motherless Brooklyn. 

And many old timers mention bodies....lots and lots of bodies, including, perhaps, that of famous teamster Jimmy Hoffa.

The speculations increased last month when dredging in the upper portion of the canal began this past November 16 as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund clean-up of the canal.  Since that day, excavators on barges have been digging up the contaminated material one shovelful after the other. It is a fascinating sight.

So, one can imagine the surprise of the excavator operator on site last Friday when he 'hooked' a whole car, possibly a Mercedes, on the East side of the canal between the 1st Street Basin and the Carroll Street Bridge (see the yellow dot on the map below).

What is even more amazing is that yesterday a second car was pulled out just feet away from the first one.

This one was located a bit nearer the 363-365 Bond Street development at Second Street, 

Car #2

The Police was called by the contractor, but apparently the detective in charge did not know what to do about the discovery and needed to talk to his supervisor.

In the meantime, both cars have been transported to an off-site facility to be cleaned. There are no reports of findings inside the cars yet, but we will keep everyone updated when we find out.

If you are as fascinated by all things IN the canal, you might want to read these PMFA articles.

From 2016:

It Came From The Gowanus: Viewing Debris Recently Removed From 4th Street Basin

From 2018:

It Came From The Gowanus Part II: More Items See The Light Of Day After Being Dredged From The Bottom Of The Canal

From 2009: 

Car Plunges Into Gowanus Canal Early On Saturday Morning

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Gowanus, Where Cars Are Parked On Sidewalks

Today, we make way for Gowanus resident  J. Moccasin Walker here on PMFA. Walker  (his nom de plume) contacted us a few weeks ago to make us aware of a problem that has plagued his neighborhood for some time: drivers parking their cars on the sidewalk, thereby blocking the way for pedestrians.

After counting 24 cars and trucks parked on the sidewalk at the same time on Union Street between Nevins and 4th Avenue, he decided to reach out to the community to document and make aware of this issue.

What’s with all the cars parked on the sidewalk?
By J. Moccasin Walker ***

It seems like we have an epidemic of drivers parking cars on the sidewalks in Gowanus. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not parked cars. They are for parents with strollers, folks in wheelchairs and little kids on scooters. Sidewalks are not for motor vehicles.

While there are a few technical exceptions, drivers are not allowed to park, stop or stand on any sidewalk in New York City.

Parking on sidewalks reduces pedestrian space. It can divert people into the street to pass. We need to make the city more pedestrian friendly, not less. It is true that growth has increased competing uses and pressures. More traffic of every kind is using the same real estate. Local businesses, long used to open loading space, are being squeezed. Workers who drive to jobs in manufacturing zones are competing with new residents for street parking. Crews working on new buildings or upgrading sewers and utilities are added to the mix, both with work vehicles and with the cars they commute in. Ultimately, new solutions may be needed that go beyond this or any neighborhood, but in the meantime, things have gotten out of hand. There were twenty-four vehicles parked on the sidewalks of Union Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues one day last fall!

One of these days a mom with young kids will step out into the street to pass a parked car. A big truck will be speeding by and suddenly there’ll be a tragedy. Let’s not wait for that, let’s sort this out now. Why doesn’t the NYPD, or Councilmember Levin or Lander address the problem before the next accident?

People need to work and live, but the sidewalks are not free square footage for every business to expand onto or for any driver to park on. It’s bad enough we have dysfunction, narcissism and lawlessness in the White House. The good people of Brooklyn should maintain a more civil society and respect our neighbors and our shared public space.

*** J. Moccasin Walker hopes to be an occasional contributor to Pardon Me For Asking. A driver, a bicyclist and a pedestrian, he is an ever more cantankerous idealist. If he had a blog it might be called "Don’t Get Me Started."

This isn’t in Gowanus, but it shows the problem perfectly. You can see the crosswalk in the foreground and cars parked on sidewalk. The pedestrian has been forced into the street, which is inconvenient, dangerous and just plain wrong. This was taken last week on 4th Avenue by Industry City.

These next two shots are on the east side of Nevins, opposite the Dand D pool and park.

This is Sackett just west of 3rd Avenue, looking west.

This is Sackett just west of 3rd Avenue again, looking the other way.

This shot is on the east side of 4th Avenue, looking north towards Douglass Street

This is the sidewalk by the gas station at Union Street and 4th Avenue

Here is more of the same at the gas station on Union and 4th.

Here is another shot of that gas station at night.If the cars belong to gas station employees, 

they have all sorts of room in back to park a car or two.

This is Union Street west of 3rd Avenue.

Here’s Union east of 3rd Avenue

This is the north side of Union between 3rd and 4th.

This is the small garden on 4th Ave, just north of Union. This car had a Parks Department parking permit but it was for Queens. And there was room at the curb!

These are more shots back near the D and D pool, looking west towards Nevins.

Here is the same corner, by the D and D pool block, looking northeast.

The car wash on 4th Avenue and 1st Street has made the sidewalk a regular part of their shop. It is always soapy and slippery underfoot and nearly always blocked.

This is mid-block on Sackett Street, looking east from Nevins.

This is DeGraw Street just west of 3rd Avenue.

PMFA would like to thank Walker for this contribution and for making us aware of this 'epidemic.'

Let us hear from you, dear Readers.  Are you noticing this issue in Gowanus as well?  

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