GREENPOINT — The man who swam the Gowanus Canal last month is "happy and healthy" — and planning to take on Greenpoint's Newtown Creek this spring.
Clean water advocate Christopher Swain swam most of the Gowanus Canal on Earth Day to promote cleaning the waterway.
He's now planning to tackle Greenpoint's Superfund waterway, Newtown Creek, in hopes of drawing more attention to cleaning up the creek enough for recreational swimming, too.
Newtown Creek, which has been home to more than 50 refineries and was the site of a massive Exxon Mobil oil spill, has had more progress in cleanup efforts than the Gowanus Canal, Swain said.
People can safely use the creek for activities like boating, kayaking and some fishing, according to the EPA.
But it's still not as clean as it should be, Swain said. Just as he did with the Gowanus Canal, he's calling for a speedy cleanup and hopes that his swim will encourage more people to advocate for a cleaner Newtown Creek.
"We're a long way from people being able to swim safely in Newtown Creek every day," he said. "That's still a great, crazy dream."
Despite evidence of fecal matter and oil in Newtown Creek, Swain said he's confident that he will be safe after the swim. He will be donning a drysuit and cleaning out his mouth with hydrogen peroxide for the Newtown Creek swim, which is similar to what he did for the Gowanus swim.
In fact, some people had "palpable disappointment" when Swain told them he's feeling well after swimming through the Gowanus Canal, he said with a laugh.
"I'm a pro," said Swain, who swam the Hudson River in 2004 to draw attention to the pollution. "My exposure protection plan is really good. I prevent icky water from ever touching my body."
He's still planning an official date with city officials, who will help coordinate support.
Clean water matters to communities, Swain said. People can use clean waterways in a lot of ways — whether it be for swimming in them or just sitting by them to paint, he said.
"I don't think there are people who would argue that we should continue to use it as a dumping ground, continue using it as a sewer," Swain said. "I think most people would prefer if it were clean."
