The Water Underground 2006
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Below the surface of New York City lurks an immense grid of pipes designed to carry water in various states of grossness. They bring us water for drinking, washing our clothes, and putting out fires. This same water carries away our dirt, our soapy water, and our isht – the isht of eight million New Yorkers. Where does it go? What happens to it along the way? Who stays clean and who gets dirty?
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During the spring semester of 2006, students from City-as-School, CUP’s Damon Rich and Rosten Woo, the Lower East Side Ecology Center’s Kate Zidar, and RecYouth explored the Water Underground – the millions of gallons flowing beneath New York City and the people who make it their business. After conducting site visits, reviewing government documents, skimming newspaper articles, and videotaping interviews with government workers, environmental activists, water scientists, and more, we publicly introduced two projects on June 16 at the South Street Seaport Museum: a video and an operational model demonstrating combined sewer overflow (CSO), where stormwater overwhelms a sewer system and forces untreated sewage into surrounding waterways.
Participants
Damon Rich, Educator
Rosten Woo, Project Manager
Kate Zidar, Educator
Naoki Fujita, Researcher
Maggie Acevedo, Artist
Ruben Arroyo, Artist
Danny Aviles, Artist
Edwin Rodriguez, Artist
Jared Pierre, Artist
Sean Kelleher, Artist
Kim Nuñez, Artist
Adrian Lau, Artist
Valeria Mogilevich, Teaching Artist
Resources & Links
Organizations
| Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) | LESEC advocates for increased open space, expanded composting and recycling facilities, and environmental education. |
| RECYouth: Reel Education & Communication for Youth | A program of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, RECYouth teaches children and teenagers digital video and audio skills. |
Other
| No Impact Man | No Impact Man is the blog of a man whose goal is to create a lifestyle with no net environmental impact in New York City. |
Videos/Films
| The Water Underground | The Water Underground, TRT=33 min |
Downloads
|
WUG flyer (PDF, 196.1 KB) |
Related projects
The Water Underground is also related to
Temporary Showroom
