The silt removal works on the 2-km-long stretch of Obvodny (Bypass) Canal, the longest canal in St. Petersburg, will begin in May, the city government said.
The sediment removal project is implemented and funded by the Committee on Natural Resources, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of St. Petersburg government in conjunction with Neva-Ladoga Basin Department and the Frunzensky District Administration.
The 8-km-long canal was dug in the 18th century to serve as the dam protecting the city from flooding. The canal also served as an important shipping artery and later become a sewer collecting wastewater of adjacent industrial enterprises. In the early 19th century the canal became shallow and now is not navigable anymore.