Makeshift Bed-Stuy aquarium removed after DEP officials pour cement around hydrant
BEDFORD STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (WABC) -- There's a new development in the ongoing saga surrounding a makeshift aquarium under a leaky fire hydrant in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
After firefighters shut off the hydrant earlier this week, community members attempted to rebuild the pond just 24 hours later.
However, officials with the Department of Environmental Protection stopped by to check on the hydrant and determined it was unsafe due to its leak.
Officials then fixed the leak by pouring cement around the hydrant, permanently eliminating the pond.
Video captured by neighbor Ted Kamal shows workers laying cement over the pond Friday morning.
"I knew no one else saw the cement being poured, I was like 'oh wow,'" Kamal said. "It was pretty sad. Like it was pretty sad. I'm sure people are pretty messed up about it."
Memorial candles now mark where the beloved homemade pond used to be.
"It was very positive overall. It's shocking to see that it's closed now," said Crown Heights resident Surabhi Achar.
The "Bed-Stuy Aquarium," quickly became a beloved landmark for residents in the neighborhood and visitors who saw it on social media.
Residents created the homemade goldfish tank after a leaky fire hydrant created a puddle on the sidewalk.
It was on display for the neighborhood to enjoy at the intersection of Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street and residents wanted it to become a permanent fixture in the community, but in September it was vandalized, before the latest developments this week.
In a statement, the DEP officials said, "We're looking forward to working with community members to find an appropriate alternative location for this impromptu gem, including in a community garden half a block away."
"I don't think that Bed-Stuy is a place that folks are lacking creativity," said neighbor Chimene Okere. "So, I hope to see another tiny aquarium someplace else or some other, you know, tiny zoo around here."
But for some folks, it just won't be the same unless it's on Hancock Street
"Nothing will ever be like the bedside aquarium that we had here," Ryan said. "It was so fun, such a great little thing that got the community together, and I'm going to miss it."
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