Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos: My Canoe Ride On The Toxic Gowanus Canal
By
Scott Lynch
Published Oct 13, 2013
Modified Oct 13, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
View all 33
By
Scott Lynch
Published Oct 13, 2013
Modified Oct 13, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Sure, the recently-finalized Superfund cleanup of the Gowanus Canal is going to take $504 million and "eight to ten years" to complete (and counting... the government shutdown means no Superfunds released, so the work is already behind schedule), but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little water-based recreation in the meantime! Thanks to the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club and Open House New York, dozens of otherwise toxin-averse folks took to the canal yesterday afternoon for a leisurely paddle up and down the city's most lovable body of horribly polluted water.
Canoeing the Gowanus Canal is not nearly as harrowing as it might sound. No, your boat won't dissolve upon contact, and you don't need any shots if you get splashed. Although the water may be an disconcerting shade of green and there is the occasional disgusting pocket of flotsam to contend with, the Gowanus Canal doesn't actively reek. At least, it doesn't reek on dry days: In addition to all of the terrible legacy pollution from Gowanus factories of yore, the 1.8-mile canal boasts an impressive 12 run-off pipes and spillover sites—the most on any other comparably-sized body of water in NYC is two—which means that, when it rains, everything that Brooklyn's sewer system can't handle goes right in here.
On a sunny day like yesterday, however, you couldn't ask for less reekness and prettier views in that post-industrial-landscape kind of way. Among the sight-seeing highlights: lots of great graffiti by the likes of KUMA, REVS, INKHEAD and DART; the legendary Batcave, with its plea to End Stop and Frisk; rusted hulls, unexpected patches of wildflowers, and strangely shaped silos and such.
There are also weird science-experiment-looking things anchored here and there, and more nooks and crannies than you can explore in one ride. Oh, and you can gaze upon the backside of the nearly-completed Gowanus Whole Foods. Plus it's really cool to paddle under the Canal's five unique bridges.
One of the goals of Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club is to remind everyone that, despite its murky past, the canal is a viable source of fun and pleasure for all New Yorkers, not just the ones who will be able to afford whatever luxury development gets built around here. Best of all, the Dredgers offer free, unguided canoe rides EVERY Saturday afternoon, not just on Open House NY weekend. Canoes are available on a walk-up, first-come first-served basis, launching at the end of 2nd Street between 1:00 and 5:00, unless it's raining. There are two more Saturdays left in the season, on October 19 and 26.
Tagged
canoe
gowanus canal
open house new york
superfund
original
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Standing on the Corner's music honors the ghosts of New York City
The group's frontman Gio Escobar met Gothamist at the 9/11 Memorial to explain the inspiration behind the experimental collective’s new album that, ironically, feels so full of life.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 9, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Brooklyn Public Library launches first ever craft library
Cardholders can borrow tools and kits.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Brooklyn Public Library launches first ever craft library
Cardholders can borrow tools and kits.
By
Hannah Frishberg
'The Real Housewives of New York City' is back, and so is Carole Radziwill
By
Eddie Mouradian
A lost archive of NYC 9/11 street art memorials comes back online
By
Hannah Frishberg
Some untold 9/11 stories are the strangest ones. They come to light in a new documentary.
By
Stephen Nessen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .