Second Phase of Barrier Wall Will More Than Double Water Volume Being Treated When Work is Complete
Honeywell has begun installing approximately 95,000 square feet of interlocking steel panels along the I-690 portion of the Onondaga Lake shoreline. Each panel is two feet wide and weighs nearly one-and-one-half tons. The installation of the panels is the second phase of the one-and-one-half mile long barrier wall, which will prevent contaminated groundwater from reaching the lake. Groundwater from the first phase of the barrier wall is now being cleaned and tested at the Willis Avenue Groundwater Treatment Plant. It is returned to the lake after meeting New York State Department of Environmental Conservation standards.
 Upon completion, the second phase of the barrier wall will be 1,650 feet long and will have average depth of 45 feet below the lake’s bottom preventing contaminated groundwater from reaching Onondaga Lake. |
 A worker helps align the individual steel panels as the second phase of the barrier wall construction begins. |
 A vibratory hammer is used to push the steel panels down into the lake’s bottom. |
 The hammer creates a vibration, allowing the sheet to slide easily into place. |
The new, second section of the barrier wall — the Willis/Causeway section — will be 1,650 feet long and reach an average of 45 feet below the lake’s bottom. When finished it will connect with the earlier construction — the Semet portion — near the causeway bridge located off of I-690 and terminate at the East Flume. Construction for this phase will be completed in approximately 10 months.
The second phase of the barrier wall extends into the lake to protect utilities along the shoreline.
“The construction of the Willis/Causeway section of the barrier wall marks significant progress in the cleanup of Onondaga Lake,” said Honeywell Syracuse Program Director John McAuliffe. “After this work is complete the amount of water cleaned at the Willis Avenue Groundwater Treatment Plant will increase from 20,000 gallons a day to 40,000 gallons a day.”
The consistency and height of each steel panel is checked as the wall expands.
Once installed, the steel panels are welded together to prevent the wall from shifting and sinking.
The third and final section of the barrier wall will extend from the East Flume to Harbor Brook. Construction is slated to begin in 2010. Progress also continues on preliminary design work and geotechnical investigations along the lake shore between the East Flume and Harbor Brook. Data collected will support the design of the third phase of the barrier wall.
For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, visit www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com.
