In Sickness and in Health: A History of Sewers and Sanitation in Brooklyn

Join the Center for Brooklyn History, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and Greenpoint Library for a professional learning event that plunges into the history of sewers and sanitation in NYC.

During the mid-19th century, Brooklynites helped pioneer a vastly ambitious public works project: one of the first comprehensive public sewer systems in the United States. It would transform life in the city, combatting the problems of disease and pollution created by inadequate infrastructure, an uneven understanding of disease transmission, and rapid population growth. This PL event invites NYC educators to learn about what lies below the city’s surface and explore the pipes, people, technologies, and policies that built and continue to maintain the most vital of public utilities.