[caption id="attachment_887" align="alignleft" width="210" caption="© Sam Horine"][/caption]

So yesterday there was a good little article in the Post about folks who live in houseboats in the Canal. Later in the day, and today, saw another 5 articles all rehashing that fine piece of journalism from the Post.

Great subject - but none add any new info.  Ridiculous. All about pageviews. And here I am telling you about all these other articles. And linking to them. How meta. And in a few minutes I'm going to a lovely event for a good cause to chat with bloggers. Go figure. I think my brain just exploded.

• Curbed
• The Real Deal
• NY Magazine
• Huffington Post
• Hyper Vocal

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[caption id="attachment_594" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times"][/caption]

Article in the Times today detailing the flushing tunnel under Degraw Street, and the work being done to it.  Good article, except it kept going on about the canal "stench" - which is just factually incorrect and makes me wonder if he's walked around here much.  I mean, hey, a mountain spring it is not, and after heavy rain, it's not pretty.  I am, however, tired of the comments like "oh, you live in Gowanus, how do you deal with the smell!?"  Years ago, sure.  It was known as the Lavender Lake.  But in 2011?  Just not true.  Comment #1 was spot on.]]>

[caption id="attachment_559" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo: Andrea Mohin/The New York Times"][/caption]

So the EPA finally published its findings regarding the pollution in the canal.

Some quotes...

From the Brooklyn Paper:

“The contamination … is widespread and may threaten people’s health, particularly if they eat fish or crabs from the canal or have repeated contact with the canal water or sediment,” EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said on Wednesday morning.

Yes.  Avoid the crabs.  Real crabs.  The crustaceans.  I'm not talking about this.

It is, after all, "...one of the most contaminated water bodies in the nation."

But that's not really news.

[caption id="attachment_558" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="© Tonky Designs"][/caption]

I do live here and am quite fond of it, and do look forward to it eventually being restored to decent urban not-totally-gross waterway. But I've been canoeing in it, and it's not really as bad as it seems. And it doesn't smell. Really. No, and not in the summer either.

But, due to the combined sewer overflows (CSOs), it can get a bit messy at times.

Looking forward, this, from SCAPE (via PSFK) is encouraging.  Oyster-tecture.

[caption id="attachment_560" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo: SCAPE"][/caption] ]]>