Gowanus

Gowanus swimmer sets sights on another polluted waterway — Brooklyn’s Newtown Creek

April 24, 2015 Associated Press
The area around the Gowanus Canal is a beautiful scene. The actual canal? Not so much. Eagle photo by Bernadett Laszlo
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The clean-water advocate who took an Earth Day swim in the Gowanus Canal is now setting his sights on another highly polluted New York City waterway.

The Wall Street Journal says Christopher Swain hopes to make his next big splash in Newtown Creek, between Brooklyn and Queens.

On Wednesday, the Boston resident wore protective gear for his Gowanus swim. Afterward he gargled with hydrogen peroxide and washed with a bleach solution.

The government says the banks of Newtown Creek have been home to more than 50 refineries. Commercial vessels and industrial spills have also left their mark. In 1856, the city began dumping raw sewage into the water.

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