The New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed building two aeration facilities along Newtown Creek in an attempt to clean up the sludge-filled waterway.

“The DEP is making a concerted effort to improve the water quality of Newtown Creek and its tributaries for eventual public use,” DEP officials said in a statement.

The filthy creek that separates Brooklyn and Queens has become so dirty the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed designating it a Superfund hazardous-waste site.

In an effort to make the creek “usable” again, DEP has teamed up with the EPA to begin the cleaning process. The aeration filters would work in similar fashion to those found in most fish tanks: they would filter the water and diffuse air directly into the creek, increasing dissolved oxygen levels. By increasing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water, the habitat for aquatic life can improve significantly.

The DEP has proposed four locations for the sites, two of which would be chosen if the plan materializes. They are 24-00 Newtown Creek; 58-08 48th Street; 58-26 47th Street and 30-27 Newtown Creek.

One aeration facility has already been built in Brooklyn near the upper end of the creek. According to DEP records, water quality monitoring has shown that water quality, specifically dissolved oxygen concentrations in the area, has improved since the operation of that facility.