Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal is considered one of the most contaminated waterways in America.
Laden with coal, cement, chemicals, metals and the likes from the 19th and 20th century industrial factories of New York, the canal probably can’t support any marine life.
In his aptly-named project ‘Gowanus Canal’, Brooklyn photographer William Miller captured the polluted waterway in all its glory and horror.
His mesmerizing snapshots feature images of the water’s surface with floating residue of New York’s history—and the occasional dead rat.
“To look into the Gowanus Canal is to gaze into the eyes of a corpse,” Miller wrote. “It is murky and clouded over, but if you look closely you can see life and light reflected in the mercury, feces, and coal tar that drift in the canal like malevolent clouds.”
Is this the Pacific New York City Garbage Patch in the making?
[via William Miller]