Photo © Ondel Hylton

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is attempting to get the Gowanus Canal reclassified to a degree of quality that would compel the city to clean it up enough for swimming, according to Crain’s. The Brooklyn Superfund site is currently classified as a Class SD waterway, which supports fishing; a proposal that includes raising the quality of 30 waterways would redesignate the waterway as Class SC, allowing for swimming and boating. But are we ready to leave the banks for a swim in the canal’s fragrant waters?

The new designation would align nicely with real estate developers’ dream of transforming the area around the canal into an upscale mixed-use neighborhood following the city’s massive rezoning vote, in which the City Council approved plans

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