A muddy, polluted 1,600-foot stretch of the Bay between Hunters Point and Candlestick park will finally get cleaned up.

Yosemite Slough is an water channel that used to be home to a diverse array of natural wildlife. Depending on the tides, the water levels in the area range from three to six feet deep, creating a warm environment for a multitude of plants and animals. But after years of waste from nearby industrial facilities and urban stormwater runoff, the slough is currently too toxic for much wildlife, and is full of PCBs and lead.

A cleanup plan for the slough has been in progress since 2012, and was finalized in 2014. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to the next stage, examining exactly how the cleanup will take place.

To start, nine technical studies will be developed, studying such challenges as removing the top layer of the contaminated mud, and replacing it with clean sand.

The San Francisco Bay is defined as an “estuary of national significance” by the Clean Water Act.