Tires Will Start Emerging From the Gowanus Canal on Oct. 24

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will officially begin removing debris from the toxic Gowanus Canal on Oct. 24, the agency announced Friday.

The debris removal will proceed in three phases, with phase one focused on the Fourth Street Turning Basin, the stretch of the canal between Butler Street and Third Street, according to the EPA.

The agency said the work — expected to pull up tires, chunks of wood, and other large items — will last three to four weeks, and will take place between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. during weekdays. The EPA also said it will monitor surrounding water and air during the project to make sure they aren't being contaminated.

After debris has been removed, the toxic sludge coating the floor of the canal must be drudged up. Phase one of the drudging process is expected to run from 2017-2018, with phase two running from 2019-2020 and phase three running from 2021-2022.

The Gowanus Canal was classified as a Superfund site in 2010 because of its extreme environmental contamination after decades of industrial use.

Major elements of the remediation process are still in the planning phases, including where the city will build two underground retention tanks needed to prevent storm water from flushing sewage into the canal when it rains. The city's site of choice is currently occupied by Gowanus's Eastern Effects film studio, which has been pushing for another property to be used for the project.

Pictured at top: the Gowanus Canal. Image via Google Maps.