Environment DEC
From the September 2004 issue
Progress Being Made on Cleanup of Onondaga Lake
In spring of 2004, Honeywell International, Inc. submitted a revised Onondaga Lake Feasibility Study Report to Commissioner Erin M. Crotty of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Based on this report and forthcoming information from Honeywell, DEC will develop a proposed remedial action plan (PRAP) slated for public review later this year.
Efforts continue to clean up
Onondaga Lake
Commissioner Crotty said, "Various cleanup alternatives will be studied extensively by DEC engineers and scientists to select the most appropriate remedy to protect public health and the environment. Restoration of Onondaga Lake is a priority for Governor Pataki and me, and we are moving closer to our goal of restoring this great lake to its full potential as an environmental and economic resource, improving the quality of life of central New York residents."
Prolonged Process
DEC and Honeywell have agreed upon specific additional information that Honeywell must submit by September 1, 2004, to address remaining issues and complete a feasibility study that is sufficient for DEC to generate a PRAP. The PRAP will evaluate various remedial approaches for cleaning up the lake, present DEC's preferred remedial approach, and will be subject to public review and comment. The final cleanup plan will be selected and documented in a record of decision (ROD) slated for release in spring 2005.
In May 2003, Honeywell submitted a draft Onondaga Lake Feasibility Study Report, which was disapproved by DEC in November 2003. In May 2004, Honeywell submitted a revised feasibility study report. Since that time, DEC has been working with Honeywell to make further modifications to the revised report. Substantial effort has been expended to address DEC's remaining concerns.
Honeywell's feasibility study proposed alternatives ranging from no action, to dredging contaminated sediments, to capping them in place. DEC requested that Honeywell evaluate additional alternatives that entail more extensive dredging and capping of contaminated sediments.
Honeywell's Predecessor
At its chemical production plants near Onondaga Lake, Allied-Signal, Inc., now Honeywell, used or produced hazardous and non-hazardous substances since 1917. In June of 1989, the state filed a legal action in U.S. District Court against Allied, seeking environmental remediation and natural resource damages arising from the company's pollution of the Onondaga Lake system. The lake and related contaminated areas were listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in December 1994 and is included on the state Superfund list. Hazardous substances and related contamination associated with the Onondaga Lake NPL site include the following:
- Mercury and other heavy metals
- Contamination of fish flesh with mercury and other toxins that render lake fish unsafe for human consumption
- Active and potential sources of hazardous substance pollution of Onondaga Lake via surface and groundwater pathways that prevent or limit recreational use of the lake
Copies of relevant documents are available for public review by visiting the Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse Branch at the Galleries; by calling (315)475-1170 for an appointment at the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, 658 West Onondaga Street in Syracuse, or by calling (315)426-7403 for an appointment at DEC's Region 7 Office, 615 Erie Blvd. West in Syracuse.
