For Release: Friday, July 1, 2005

State, EPA Issue Final Plan for Onondaga Lake Cleanup

Remedial Effort is Among Largest Environmental Cleanup Projects in State History

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the State has finalized the cleanup plan for Onondaga Lake, and has signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for the remedial effort, which will be one of the largest environmental cleanup projects in State history.

"This is a historic day for New York State, especially for the communities around Onondaga Lake," Commissioner Sheehan said. "With this Record of Decision in place, we are able to move forward in our efforts to restore the lake to its full potential. The people of New York and the residents around Onondaga Lake deserve to have this resource brought back to life, offering the environmental, recreational and historic opportunities that have been unavailable. While a great deal of effort and research went into the development of this cleanup plan, there is still a great deal of work to be done. DEC is committed to the continued progress and cleanup of Onondaga Lake."

The ROD details the remedy selected by DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after careful consideration of comments and input on the Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) released in November 2004. The ROD addresses hazardous waste contamination in Onondaga Lake, includes questions and comments received during the extensive public comment period along with DEC responses, and outlines pertinent documents used in making remedial decisions. Responses to questions and comments are also included as part of the ROD.

On November 29, 2004, DEC released the PRAP, which outlined several remedial alternatives for the Lake, announced the public comment period, public meeting and informational sessions and provided information on how the public could provide input on the Proposed Plan.

The public comment period ran from November 29, 2004, until April 30, 2005. Nearly 400 people attended two public meetings and approximately 200 people attended three informational sessions. More than 100 people spoke at the meetings and submitted written comments. The informational sessions provided an opportunity for the public to learn more about the site and the PRAP from DEC staff. At the public meetings, DEC presented the details of the preferred remedial alternative as contained in the PRAP, responded to questions from the public, and accepted public comments. DEC also held meetings with technical organizations to respond to comments and questions.

The ROD includes the essential elements of the preferred alternative containing in the PRAP, including:

dredging up to 2.65 million cubic yards of sediment from the Lake bottom;
capping over an estimated 579 acres of the Lake bottom;
treatment of water generated during the dredging process;
performing a pilot study to introduce oxygen in the Lake followed by full-scale implementation (if supported by the pilot study);
monitoring the natural covering of the contaminated sediments discharged from tributaries to the Lake;
collection of additional data needed for design of the remedy;
habitat restoration and optimization in selected areas;
coordination with other remedial activities occurring at nearby upland sites; and
a long-term monitoring program to assess remedy effectiveness.

The remedy is protective of human health and the environment. The estimated cost to implement the remedy is approximately $451 million. The cost to construct the remedy is estimated to be $412 million and the estimated average annual operation and maintenance cost is $3 million. Remedial design is estimated at three years while complete construction of all the remedial components is expected to take a total of approximately four years.

The ROD also clarifies that certain remedial decisions will be made during the design phase, after additional investigative work has been completed. It also calls for the coordination with remedial activities at upland sites, to ensure that upland sites do not continue to contaminate the lake, and it addresses, where necessary, specific technical issues that were raised in comments on the PRAP.

DEC will continue to hold informational meetings with the public and interested parties to discuss elements and details of the design and remedy and continue its open dialogue. DEC will now commence discussions with Honeywell International, Inc. to reach agreement on the remedial design and the action necessary to implement the remedy as outlined in the ROD.

Copies of the ROD and project-related documents are available for public review at the Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse Branch at the Galleries; the Atlantic States Legal Foundation ( by appointment), 658 West Onondaga Street in Syracuse; at the DEC Region 7 Office ( by appointment), 615 Erie Blvd. West in Syracuse by calling (315) 426-7403; Liverpool Public Library 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool; Maxwell Memorial Library, 14 Genesee Street, Camillus; and Moon Library, SUNY ESF, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse. For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, and to view the ROD, visit DEC's website .

A remedial investigation to determine the nature and extent of contamination in Onondaga Lake was completed in 2002. The investigation found mercury and other contamination throughout the lake, with the most elevated concentrations detected in sediments in the Nine Mile Creek delta and in the sediment and wastes present in the southwestern portion of the lake.

Honeywell International, Inc., considered a major contributor of contamination to the Lake, completed a feasibility study in November 2004. The feasibility study identifies and evaluates possible alternatives for addressing contamination in the Lake. DEC evaluated the feasibility study alternatives, available data and information and developed the PRAP, in consultation with USEPA. The ROD is based largely on information in the PRAP along with numerous comments received on the PRAP.

At its chemical production plants near Onondaga Lake, Allied-Signal, Inc., now Honeywell, used or produced hazardous and non-hazardous substances beginning in 1917. In June of 1989, the State filed a legal action in US 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 EPA's Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in December 1994 and were included on the State Superfund list.

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