Gowanus Canal Pollution: Photos By William Miller Show Devastating Beauty Of Toxic Channel

Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal is one of the "most extensively contaminated" waterways in America, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Now, the channel's toxicity is being highlighted in a more artistic light. Photographer William Miller has released some stunning images of the the Gowanus Canal, a runoff point for billions of gallons of wastewater and sewage from metropolitan New York City (and, for a time, a dead dolphin). Miller, a native New Yorker, shot the photos in 2011.

The EPA's plans to dredge and clean up the 1.8-mile canal could cost upwards of $500 million, and may take until 2020, according to a New York Times report.

Take a look at some of Miller's haunting photos below.

All photos courtesy of William Miller Photography.