You might remember the controversial goldfish pond saga that had protective BedStuy neighbors opposing the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Well the DEP won in the end after paving the aquarium over with concrete on Friday, October 25th, 2024. Of course, the DEP first removed the fish, colorful pebbles and aquascaping before laying down the concrete. So how did this all happen? Let’s recount…
The entire community aquarium began due to a leaky fire hydrant in the neighborhood. And though the DEP attempted to fix the fire hydrant back in August, a local man in support of the pond turned it back on. From then on, a GoFundMe page was launched for the community aquarium and an unofficial sign even graced the nearby tree.
The DEP recently explained in a statement the dangers of this leaky fire hydrant, which can cause freezing that would alter the hydrant nonactive. Because of this, they secured the hydrant with a lock on Friday to prevent further leakage and paved over the aquarium with concrete. It was all the “ensure pedestrian safety,” they had assured.
Many New Yorkers shared their upset towards the news, one posted to X “idc if i sound dumb im genuinely gutted the fdny destroyed the bedstuy aquarium. it was one of the most beautiful and wholesome things ive seen in nyc in a minute. it brought together locals and tourists to celebrate something silly, it created community.”
According to a statement from the DEP, they have plans to work with community members to keep this “impromptu gem” alive, suggesting relocating it to a community garden close by.