Gowanus Canal Could Become Swimmable Under New Proposal, Officials Say

BROOKLYN, NY — Once considered one of the last places you'd want to take a dip, the Gowanus Canal might actually be on its way to becoming swimmable, if state officials have their way.

A recent report from Crain’s says the state Department of Environmental Conservation is pushing to reclassify the long-polluted Gowanus Canal. This move aims to pressure the city to ramp up cleanup efforts and eventually make the waterway safe for swimming.

The canal is currently designated as a Class SD waterway, which means it supports fishing. Under the new proposal—part of a statewide plan affecting 30 waterways—it would be upgraded to Class SC, a classification that permits swimming and boating.

However, swimming in the canal is not expected anytime soon. "It’s designating it to meet swimmable water quality standards, but because of other circumstances, swimming is not considered a best use," Em Ruby, a senior advocacy and policy coordinator at Riverkeeper, told Crain’s.

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection is currently constructing two large tanks to reduce the overflow of raw sewage into the canal during heavy rains, with completion expected by 2030. Officials say it could still take several years after the tanks become operational for water quality to improve enough to be considered safe for swimming.

For decades, the Brooklyn waterway suffered pollution from heavy industries like gas plants, paper mills, tanneries, and chemical factories lining its shores. In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency designated the area a Superfund site, acknowledging its long history of contamination and launching the cleanup process.

A dredging project to remove toxic sediment from the canal ran from 2020 to 2021. Following that, crews began stabilizing and capping the contaminated sediment to prevent further pollution. In 2023, the cleanup advanced significantly with the groundbreaking of large underground storage tanks, part of a $1.6 billion investment.

“Until the Superfund cleanup is complete, plus sometime after that, we won’t be swimming in Gowanus,” Ruby added.