Gowanus Clap Update: 'Very Aggressive' Strain

Friday, October 5, 2007, by Robert

This hasn't been a good week for developers that envision luxury housing on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The story about the canal having gonorrhea gets fleshed out a little today in the Daily News, which talked to the biology professor whose students found the clap in the canal. She says it's so "ridden with 'aggressive' strains of bacteria she wouldn't live anywhere near it." In addition to gonorrhea, they found flu viruses and other "disease-causing" bacteria in the water. As befits South Brooklyn, "These are species of microorganisms that are very aggressive...When you take the samples and analyze them back at the lab it is scary." You can see the marketing campaign now: Aggressively edgy.
· Gowanus Canal sick with germs, City Tech professors say [NYDN]
· Gowanus Canal Has Gonorrhea [Curbed]

Filed under Brooklyn: Gowanus, City Life, Gowanus Canal, Toll Brothers

Email this post to a friend

Comments feed for this post

Comments (13 extant)

Maybe they should stop dumping raw sewage into the canal!

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 9:43 AM

Best part of the article:
"David Von Spreckelsen, an executive with Toll Brothers, which wants to build condos near 1st St., pointed to the city's planned upgrades for the canal and said he is confident people will want to live there."

"It doesn't worry me," said Von Spreckelsen, who a few weeks back took his young kids canoeing on the canal."

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 9:46 AM

Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club
cordially invites you to

Bacchanal 2007
An evening of family fun, food and music on the Gowanus Canal.

Thursday, September 20, 2007
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

2nd Street Boat Launch on the Gowanus Canal
165 2nd Street (off of Bond Street)
Brooklyn, New York
Take the F or G train to Carroll Street and walk 3 blocks to the Gowanus Canal

Join is for live music, all-u-can-eat BBQ from Schnack, canoe tours, kids' entertainment, silent art auction and raffle prizes from area shops and restaurants. Kids under 12 free with paid adult!

YIKES!!!!!!!

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 9:47 AM

That canal sounds scary.

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 10:03 AM

I wanna take a swim.

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 10:12 AM

I wonder if Buddy Scotto has thought of a plan other than "build it and they will come and a clean canal will follow." Maybe the developers should be putting pressure on the state if they don't want their projects to sit empty.

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 10:13 AM

This reminds me of an episode of Law & Order (I think) in which the detectives chase a suspect to the middle of a bridge over the Gowanus Canal. As the suspect thinks about jumping over the railing, the detective says something like, "Go ahead. You'll be dead in a year." Sounds fitting.

By L&O at October 5, 2007 10:15 AM

very nice photo!

By Downtown Pearl at October 5, 2007 11:43 AM

never heard of a canal having VD. Except of course a "love canal".

By anonymous at October 5, 2007 11:43 AM

10.

"Honest, Honey. I would never cheat on you! I must have got it from the Gowanus canal..."

By Anonymous at October 5, 2007 12:26 PM

11.

Stop the canal circle jerk!

By papi at October 5, 2007 1:32 PM

12.