Gowanus Conservancy Bio-Swales

This weekend Gowanus Canal Conservancy volunteers successfully completed the construction and planting of seven rain gardens or bio-wales along the banks of the Gowanus Canal as part of the Brooklyn 6th Street Green Corridor Project.

Ranging from 400 to 1,200 sf, the gardens are designed to capture storm water runoff from streets and adjacent vacant lots, both to filter contaminants and reduce raw sewage discharges into the Canal, when the areas Combined Sewage System (mixed rainwater and sewage) gets overwhelmed by heavy rains. 

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy was the winner of one of five grants from New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, totaling $2.6 million, for their Gowanus Canal street end bio-swale filtration system. Design proposals were selected for ideas most likely to succeed and be replicated on a large scale as the City develops its plan to reduce combined sewer overflows, and implement the PlaNYC Green Infrastructure guidelines released in September 2010.

More facts about Phytoremediation.