The New York City Waterfalls began flowing today, making a big splash throughout the city.

Crews have been working over the past few days to test the setup.

The man-made waterfalls are at four sites along the waterfront: The Brooklyn Bridge, Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, Pier 35 in Lower Manhattan, and the north shore of Governors Island.

All four waterfalls can be viewed from the South Street Seaport.

The falls, which are the work of Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, are 90 to 120-feet tall. He says he designed the project with the environment in mind. It is built to protect water quality and aquatic life using renewable energy sources.

"Finally we're here," said Eliasson this morning. "It's been such a long journey and I'm so happy today."

Eliasson said he hopes people see the special properties of water.

"Water has the ability to be both very elusive, and very much about dreams and expectations, and also water is very physical," he said. "It's big. It's heavy. It's noisy."

The faux falls will be turned on each morning at 7 a.m. and operate until 10 p.m. every day through mid-October. Tuesdays and Thursdays the water will be turned on at 9 a.m. The water will be lit after sunset.

There will be special walking, biking, and boating tours available to view the waterfalls.

The project was funded by $15 million raised by the Public Art Fund. Mayor Michael Bloomberg expects it to bring an estimated $55 million of extra economic activity to the city.

For more information, go to www.NYCwaterfalls.org