[title]
In honor of Earth Day, clean water activist Christopher Swain went for a swim today. A swim that happened to take place in the most polluted water way in the country, everyone’s favorite backyard Superfund site: the Gowanus Canal.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Gowanus, Brooklyn
After being delayed by the NYPD and a private property owner who didn’t want Swain to use his land to access the canal (whatever for?) Swain eventually made it into the toxic water and butterflied his way down the sludge to raise awareness about pollution. Mission accomplished?
In case you were wondering whether or not taking a dip in the Gowanus is really that disgusting, it most definitely, definitely is. In addition to heavy metals, the waterway contains bacteria, toxic chemicals and, most famously of all, Gonorrhea! The gang's all here! In fact, we can think of a number of things that would probably be safer than Swain’s swim including: picnicking on subway tracks, playing drunk Frisbee on a roof and suntanning in the middle of Eighth Avenue.
See photos of Swain’s adventurous swim below:
@SwimWithSwain has just reached whole foods for his swim of #gowanus canal for earth day @observer pic.twitter.com/AxBL6osLP8
— Aisling Brennan (@AislingBrennan9) April 22, 2015
And he's in!!!! #christopherswain #swimwithchris #swimthegowanuscanal #hope #gowanus #brooklyn… https://t.co/jj7vuDySRi
— Derrick Karg-Zamudio (@DerrickKarg) April 22, 2015
Construction workers watching @SwimWithSwain swimming down #gowanus canal: "he ain't no Michael Phelps!" #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/Tv4txoHYdm
— Isaak Liptzin (@IsaakLiptzin) April 22, 2015
#gowanus pic.twitter.com/dAS4SrN1H5
— Brian Baum (@BBaumEsq) April 22, 2015
What better way to spend #EarthDay2015 than swim in one of most polluted waters in U.S.? @SwimWithSwain in #gowanus pic.twitter.com/1H7JABgvX4
— David Biello (@dbiello) April 22, 2015
#gowanus swimmer alive! pic.twitter.com/sUiMMOS9Xk
— Brian Baum (@BBaumEsq) April 22, 2015
#BREAKING -- @SwimWithSwain southbound in #polluted #gowanus canal. @NYPDnews #EarthDay2015 pic.twitter.com/4t6iYzGGw0
— New York Media Boat (@NYmediaBoat) April 22, 2015
Don't get too close, news media. He just swam the #gowanus canal. pic.twitter.com/SsesoyUSi8
— Brian Baum (@BBaumEsq) April 22, 2015
Passerby: what's going on? Oh. I hope he doesn't get cancer. He looks ok so far: pic.twitter.com/lj73EC28fV
— Lauren Evans (@LaurenFaceEvans) April 22, 2015