Call it a royal flush.
The city has fully re-activated the Gowanus Canal’s on-again, off-again flushing tunnel after a four-year, $ 177 million rehabilitation, officials announced Thursday.
The renovation of the 1.2-mile-long tunnel allows it to push 252 million gallons — or about 30% more fresh water than it could before the upgrade — from Buttermilk Channel to the head of the highly toxic waterway each day, officials said.
The tunnel, equipped with three turbine pumps, works to flush polluted water out of the stagnant canal, into the tidal currents of the New York Harbor, and oxygenate the waterway with cleaner water.
It was partially re-activated in December, but prior to that had been completely shut down for repairs since 2010.
“The $ 177 million upgrade of the flushing tunnel is a significant milestone in the city’s efforts to improve the health and cleanliness of the Gowanus Canal,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd.
Built in 1911, the tunnel was designed to pump polluted water from the head of the canal into Buttermilk Channel, but since the late 1990s it has sent water in the opposite direction.
The city will also reactivate a pumping station in June to improve water quality.
nmusumeci@nydailynews.com
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