Man-Made NYC Waterfalls Rising Up on East River

Man-Made NYC Waterfalls Rising Up on East River

from Gothamist by John Del Signore

Photo courtesy Vidiot.

Work on this summer’s NYC Waterfalls project seems to be flowing forward, as the photo above indicates. The $9-$10 million project will bring 4 man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120 feet, to the East River and New York Harbor. Presented by The Public Art Fund, the waterfalls are the creation of Danish–Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, who’s currently enjoying a retrospective at MoMA.

The falls will be located under the Brooklyn Bridge, between Brooklyn's Piers 4 and 5, near Pier 35 in Manhattan, and off Governors Island. The Circle Line Downtown and New York Water Taxi will both be offering several different guided tours (some of them free) to gawk at the falls. They’ll also be visible from several points in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island, where the free ferry will also afford a close-up view.

But what about the environment? The city says the falls will protect fish and other aquatic life by filtering the water through intake pools suspended in the river. And Con Ed has been contracted to provide electricity generated from renewable resources. So now the only thing to worry about is how many yahoos will be trying to go over the falls in a barrel.

The city projects tourism revenues to increase by $55 million during the waterfalls’ duration, which will begin at an unspecified date in late June, flowing through mid-October. For more, Gowanus Lounge has a look at work underway on the waterfall between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn.