Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York is the most polluted lake in the United States due to heavy industrial pollution over the last 200 years. Pollutants like mercury, PCBs, and other chemicals have contaminated the lake sediment and fish. The lake has been listed as a federal Superfund priority site since 1994. The estimated $451 million cleanup plan began in 2005 and involves dredging over 2.5 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, capping areas with clean material, and treating water to reduce pollution levels and make the lake safe again. While lake water quality is improving, concerns remain about residual pollution and whether remediation will achieve long-term sustainability.

1. Onondaga
Lake Cleanup
EK335 Presentation
By: Nancy Neely

2. Location: Syracuse, New York
Area: 4.6 square miles
Most Polluted Lake in the United States

3. 1799Salt production
begins
1918Organic
chemicals and
1883chlorine gas
Solvey Process production
builds on shore
1976Resource
1970- Conservation and
Recovery Act
Fishing
Banned
Onondaga Lake Timeline
1940Lake declared
1884unsafe for
Soda ash
swimming
production begins
1825Erie Canal
opens
1972Federal
Clean
Water Act
1994Lake
becomes
Federal
Superfund
Priority

4. Onondaga Lake after the
Industrial Revolution
 Added
to National Priorities List by United
States Environmental Protection Agency
 List is the “most serious uncontrolled or
abandoned hazardous waste sites in the
United States”
 165,000 pounds of mercury over 100 years

5. Chemicals include; mercury, petroleum hydrocarbons
(fuel products), chlorinated solvents and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCB's) – proven carcinogens

8. Effect on Wildlife
 “A
major goal of the remedial actions being
undertaken in Onondaga Lake is to reduce
the level of mercury contamination in the
lake’s fish. It is uncertain that this goal can be
achieved.” – 2002 DEC report

10. Metro

11. Cleanup begins…
 Onondaga
County Metro sued by State
of New York and Atlantic States Legal
Foundation – forced to bring wastewater
into compliance
 New York State sued Allied-Signal, Inc.
(now Honeywell) seeking to compel the
company to pay to clean the lake
 Estimated $451 million total

12. Sustainable Restoration Plan
 The
Onondaga Lake Cleanup Plan issued
by DEC and EPA in 2005




1. Preventing migration of containments from old
industrial sites
2. Removing and containing sediment from the bottom
of the lake at approved sites
3. Creating a sustainable habitat along the shore for
wildlife and local recreation
4. Implementing a long-term
operation, maintenance, and monitoring program to
ensure effectiveness

13. Dredging
Equipment

14. Cleanup Process





2.65 million cubic yards of “lake muck”
dredged
500 acres of lake bottom will be “capped”
with sand and dirt
Metal retaining wall to keep contaminated
groundwater from flowing into the lake
Dredging soil in adjacent creeks and brooks
3 billion gallons of water being treated

18. Progress
 Lake
quality is reported as being “the best
it has been in decades”
 Reports of lower mercury levels in fish

19. Controversy
 Onondaga
Nation
 Up to 80% of polluted sediment is remaining in
place
 Temporary solution- some believe excess
wave action will make the cap fail eventually
 Camillus- suing for not monitoring dumping of
“sludge”

20. Questions?
Resources:
http://www.lakecleanup.com/progressnews/metrics/
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/
2013/03/camillus_residents_sue_honeywe.
html
www.dec.ny.gov
http://www.upstatefreshwater.org/html/o
nondaga_lake.html
http://students.sunyocc.edu/central.aspx
?menu=542&id=13388
http://students.sunyocc.edu/central.aspx
?id=13392
http://onondagalake.org/Sitedescription/
OnondagaLakeBottomSediments/docs/O
nondagalake_asFS1Aand%201B_ver%203.
pdf
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf
/oltimeline.pdf
http://upstatefreshwater.org/html/involve
ment.html
http://
www.camilluscleanair.org/?q=blog/2013/
04/09/new-report-out-onondaga-lakedredging