Buttermilk Channel

Origins of the name are uncertain but it is alleged to be a reference to the dairy farmers who used to cross this channel by boat to sell their milk in Manhattan markets.

According to another legend, before the channel was dredged to accommodate cargo ships,[1] cows were walked across it at low tide to graze on Governors Island.

[5] With current charted depths of 35 to 40 feet (11 to 12 m), Buttermilk Channel is still a busy shipping lane offering the most convenient access to the Brooklyn waterfront.

Until the late 20th century the primary user of the channel was the U.S. Coast Guard, which had a local headquarters on Governors Island.

[4] In April 2015, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a Request for Proposals for additional maintenance dredging of Buttermilk Channel.

The Buttermilk Channel, shown in red, in Upper New York Bay
Looking north through the channel
1766 map indicating 4-fathom (24 ft; 7.3 m) depth of channel and width half a mile (800m)
The Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, Brooklyn