The Environmental Protection Agency began its cleanup project in the Gowanus Canal Monday.

The heavily polluted canal was deemed a federal Superfund site in 2010.

The pilot program will remove debris from the Fourth Street turning basin. Using sonar, workers will locate and fish out large objects that have fallen into the canal. They will also clear two shipwrecks at the bottom.

After clearing the basin, they will move on to other parts of the canal.

The debris removal is independent of another dredging project that aims to clear the Gowanus Canal of harmful contaminants.

The EPA says that the dredging program would be more difficult without first removing the debris.

The cleanup will continue for three to four weeks. Dredging begins in 2017.