Could New Yorkers soon take a dip in one of Brooklyn’s most infamous waterways? A new proposal from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) may force the city to clean up the polluted Gowanus Canal to the point where swimming and boating could legally be allowed.

The 100-foot wide, 1.8-mile-long canal, currently classified as a Class SD waterway (supporting only fishing), would be upgraded to Class SC, which requires swimmable and boating-friendly water quality standards. The proposal is part of a larger plan affecting 30 waterways across the state.

The timing is no coincidence.

Developers and city officials have long envisioned a transformed Gowanus, following a major rezoning that will add thousands of new apartments, parks, and public spaces to the n

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