Man to attempt Gowanus swim again

NEW YORK (AP) — A clean-water advocate who previously attempted to swim New York City's polluted Gowanus Canal will try again. The Wall Street Journal says Christopher Swain will don protective gear and jump into the canal on Saturday.

The canal runs over 1 ½ miles through a narrow industrial zone near some of Brooklyn's wealthiest neighborhoods.

Once a major transportation route, it's now so polluted with industrial and sewer discharges that it must, by law, be cleaned up.

The 47-year-old Boston environmental activist swam the canal on Earth Day in April but had to abandon it after a mile due to rain.

Swain says his dream is for the Gowanus Canal to one day become an after-school swimming hole — and not just for people in hazardous-materials suits.

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