The Gowanus canal was developed from a natural wetland in the 1860s for use as an industrial waterway. Over the years, it has been lined by industrial developments, many of which used the canal as a dumping ground for raw sewage and industrial waste. The Gowanus canal was also a major site for CSO outfalls, with only an inch of rainfall required for the canal to overflow. The proposal aims to resolve three different but related water issues; sea level rise, storm surge, and storm water treatment in the Gowanus OH-007 sewershed.

The ABSORB, TREAT, and STORE strategies reduced the amount of CSO produced upland, by absorbing the rainwater on the “soaker streets” at every three blocks, treating the surface runoff and reusing it as grey water in commercial developments along 5th Avenue.

Apart from addressing the CSO problem at its root, the project also proposes rejuvanation of the Gowanus 
canal edge to become more resilient to water level changes. The project proposes flexible programs along the canal that could accommodate the excess water and still be able to function.