Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted

11/05/25

“Why is the Gowanus Canal so polluted?”

The Gowanus Canal has been a fixture of Brooklyn for the past 150 years. Built as a major industrial transportation route, the body of water was subject to decades of pollution from surrounding coal yards, tanneries, machine shops, and many other types of industrial activity. The canal’s design prevented regular movement between the more oxygenated water in New York Harbor and the deoxygenated water in the canal, leading to a filthy, pathogen-infested environment. People also used the Gowanus Canal to carry out illegal dumping activities. Combined sewer overflow events dump raw sewage into the canal during heavy rainstorms. When we look at these reasons together, it’s easy to see Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted.

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