GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — A person was rescued from the Gowanus Canal Friday afternoon, officials said.

Emergency responders were called to the canal, near Third Avenue and Third Street, just after 3:30 p.m. for reports that someone was in the water, FDNY officials said. One person was pulled out of the canal, officials confirmed.

FDNY officials said the person was being evaluated on the scene, but did not immediately know the person's condition or how he or she got into the water. The canal is known to be one of the most toxic waterways in the country, though federal officials have recently been working on a pilot program to scoop up toxic muck infamously found at the bottom of the water.

Over the summer, the Environmental Protection Agency used bulkheads to dredge up 11 feet deep of the sludge.

Activists have long asked, though, that the federal government do more to clean up the canal, which is regulated under the Clean Water Act.