Throughout this summer, residents and visitors to New York City had a chance to see the manmade New York City Waterfalls Project, which were pumping beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, Pier 35 in Manhattan, and off Governors Island. Being the brainchild of Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, the success of this work of art has brought more attention and awareness about waterfalls in New York.However, there's a little bit of controversy involving the environmental impact of the falls (despite there already being an environmental assessment).
That's because the salt from the river water being pumped up and allowed to fall in the waterfalls have created mist, which sprays the neighboring plants. When the spray evaporates, salt crystals are left behind on the affected plants, which in turn slowly kill them by hindering their ability to photosynthesize.
In response to this development, the hours of operation for the NYC Waterfalls are reduced by more than 50% for the remainder of the intended operation of the attraction. The reduced operation has begun on September 8. However, the project will only continue until October 13 - less than a month from today!
If you're interested in seeing this attraction before they close the doors on it, The Circle Line Downtown and New York Water Taxi are running tours that feature close-up views of the New York City Waterfalls.
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