Submitted by frogg, Aug 21, 2008 21:57

The old Gowanus marsh land actually extended quite a bit north of the present day canal. There was a large pond at the northern end with a number of small creeks draining the Atlantic Rail yards area into the Gowanus. And if you read the old stories in the 19th century Daily Eagle, you will find that industry was not the primary cause of the foul waters in the canal, it was the drainage of all those new developments in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, and much of the area north extending out to the ridge of Washington Avenue. The coal gas manufacturing along the canal didn't do much to help the environment, but most of the 19th century canal activity was moving goods--this how the got all the materials that allowed so much housing stock to be built (remember that most of this part of Brooklyn was built before the age of gasoline). The point is, that sewage was the primary problem in the Gowanus in the past, and it remains the primary problem for the canal today. The problem Whole Foods is having with their site is only partly due to the contaminated land. The primary problem they have not been able to over come, is that the site is a wetlands with an elevation just above sea level. They have been hoping to build a store below grade to avoid the need for a special zoning permit--apparently this is a building plan that just won't fly.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.