About This Project

The goal is to test marine in-water debris collection technology in NYC’s urban marine environment at community access points to empower local stewards to take direct action. The project will be the first ever deployed continuous in-water device in Gowanus Bay, Brooklyn. We will use the experience to observe plastic behavior, collect debris, track data, and determine methods of operations for long-term use. Funding will complement a National Marine Sanctuary Foundation grant.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The proposed site is on Gowanus Bay (confluence of the Buttermilk Channel and Upper New York Bay). The Gowanus Bay (500 acres of waterway / 7 mile coastline) in Brooklyn, NY is bound by the communities of Red Hook and Sunset Park; within a NYC and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Environmental Justice Area, with an unemployment rate of 21.6%; and approx. 25% live below the poverty level. These socioeconomic challenges are exacerbated by heavy industrialization, leading to polluted waterways, including an neighboring Super Fund Site and combined sewer outfalls. Marine pollution contributes to this toxic environment, but data and action are lacking in this region due to a lack of equipment and knowledge.

What is the significance of this project?

Most marine debris removal actions by communities focus on important shoreline activities. While shoreline removal must continue, this project differentiates itself by using the first ever in NYC, n-water solutions that are continuous, 24 hours / 7-days per week.

In-water is critical to test because

1. Shorelines are hard to access due to riprap and guardrails.

2. Shoreline removal occurs on a single day and is not continuous.

3. Removal of small pieces of plastic debris is dangerous, time-consuming, and challenging in many locations.

4. Tidal flows carry marine waste off shorelines and into the waterways, it is critical to capture floating debris BEFORE it moves out into our oceans where it can cause greater harm and degradation.

What are the goals of the project?

There are three aspects of the project - purchase of equipment, deployment and data tracking and testing. The goals are as follows:

1. Purchase equipment that the team has identified as the most appropriate for this first test launch, the DPOL. It is simple to assemble, can integrate with solar, is moveable if needed, inexpensive, durable, and continuously operating.

2. Launch equipment; observe and document success, and challenges over the duration of two deployments 8-12weeks in the summer of 2024.

3. Remove marine debris: track on a regular basis, quantity of plastic and micro-plastics; document and record through photography, counting, weighing, and categorizing.