Onondaga Lake Cleanup Progress – October Update

Progress continues with the cleanup of Onondaga Lake, its tributaries, and surrounding sites in Onondaga County, New York, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

With the lake bottom dredging and capping activities completed, the project is transitioning into the long-term monitoring phase.

Long-term monitoring by Honeywell, with DEC and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversight, will allow evaluation of the completed remediation to ensure that it continues to be protective of public health and the environment, reported DEC.

DEC also added that the Sediment Consolidation Area (SCA), located on Wastebed 13 in the Town of Camillus, where material dredged from the lake was managed, is now fully contained. The SCA was covered with an engineered cap and seeded with native grasses. Air monitoring at the SCA has transitioned from construction monitoring to long-term monitoring.

Restoration of Onondaga Lake’s shoreline and tributaries includes improvements at Geddes Brook, Nine Mile Creek, Harbor Brook, and along portions of the western shoreline.

To date, 89 acres of wetlands have been created or enhanced with nearly 780,000 native trees, plants and shrubs. Habitat restoration under the cleanup plan is scheduled to be completed in fall 2017.

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