Residents call for fewer “floatables” in Gowanus Canal

Residents near the Gowanus Canal say government plans to clean up the waterway fall short because they won’t reduce the amount of sewage run-off enough to make it clean. The Department of Environmental Protection says its $212 million plan would reduce the amount of sewage that flows in when it rains by 34 percent, making passive recreation along the canal possible. The agency also plans to skim the canal’s surface for “floatables,” the bobbing brown bits often seen in the water. Josh Skaller, president of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, said “The goals are not nearly sufficient,” and called for “truly clean water there.” Toll Brothers, which plans a 605,000-square-foot development along the canal, would probably agree.