The king of Elis, Augeas, had extremely dirty stables that had not been cleaned in many years due to his laziness. For one of his labors, Heracles was tasked with cleaning the Augean stables, deemed an impossible task. Heracles came up with a clever solution, knocking holes in the walls and diverting two nearby rivers through the stables to wash away all the built up dung. Within a few hours, the rushing waters had swept the stables completely clean, completing the task.