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Onondaga Lake Remediation Work

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CLICK HERE to read about how Honeywell is expanding Onondaga Lake remediation work.

On October 12, 2006, Honeywell announced that it entered into a Consent Decree with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to implement the Onondaga Lake cleanup plan as outlined in the state's Record of Decision (ROD) issued on July 1, 2005. The plan, which will be performed under DEC supervision, was approved by DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2005. The Consent Decree, which was the subject of a 30-day public comment period, was approved by a federal judge on January 4, 2007.

Driven by a rigorous scientific process, the Consent Decree is the result of 12 years and 90,000 hours of intensive effort by hundreds of world class scientists, engineers and technicians working in cooperation with DEC, EPA, and federal, state, county, town and village leaders.

The remedy outlined in the ROD calls for the dredging and disposal of up to 2.65 million cubic yards of contaminated sediments, construction of an isolation cap over an estimated 425 acres in the shallower areas of the lake, construction of a thin-layer cap over an estimated 154 acres in the lake's deeper areas, monitored natural recovery, wetland and habitat restoration, as well as long-term maintenance and monitoring. Sound scientific investigation and analysis will continue to drive the implementation of the remedy.

The Consent Decree provides for a Citizens Participation Program. The Consent Decree also includes a Statement of Work detailing how aspects of the cleanup plan will be implemented. In addition, the Consent Decree includes a draft Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) describing the new location of the barrier wall due to results from pre-design investigation work completed in 2006. An ESD is a document issued by EPA and DEC and is a standard part of the Superfund regulatory process. The draft ESD describes modifications required as a result of new data.

In May 2007, ahead of schedule, Honeywell submitted to the state a Remedial Design Work Plan outlining activities and schedules for implementation of the remedy. The work plan is based on relevant EPA and DEC guidance documents. Honeywell has begun some of the work included in the plan, which is expected to take nine years to complete. Work underway includes design of the dredging operations, the in-lake cap, the sediment consolidation area and habitat restoration.

Honeywell is making significant progress in cleaning up certain former Allied Chemical sites. The remediation of these sites will allow in-lake cleanup work to move forward more quickly once a cleanup plan is finalized.

Honeywell has cut off the flow of mercury from the former Linden Chemical and Plastics site to Onondaga Lake by installing a five-story deep, underground cut off wall, and removing mercury from the soil through a new technology called soil washing.
A groundwater treatment plant at the former Allied Chemical Willis Avenue site was finished one year ahead of schedule. The groundwater treatment and collection system will also include the construction of a one and one-half mile long underground barrier wall and groundwater collection system to block groundwater from reaching the lake.
The first phase of the barrier wall was completed in 2007. Construction of the second phase, between I-690 and the lake, will start in 2008.
Since 2005 Honeywell has collected more than 7,000 new water and sediment samples from Onondaga Lake as a part of the lake's pre-design investigation work.

Click here to view a summary fact sheet on Syracuse Area Remediation Progress (2 pages).