Design work on schedule; public input incorporated into plans
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today released an initial design for the dredging and management of sediments that will be removed during the lake cleanup. The lake remediation plan, which was approved by the DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, calls for a combination of dredging and capping — environmental cleanup methods that will remediate the contamination in sediments and water.
“We have achieved another critical milestone in the restoration of Onondaga Lake,” said Honeywell Syracuse Program Director John McAuliffe. “A team of nationally recognized experts incorporated community input into the design of a system to dredge and manage lake sediments.”
The timely completion of this initial design is key to maintaining the schedule as dredging is to begin in 2012. It is one of four major lake project designs.
Honeywell has made great progress on the cleanup of Onondaga Lake. At sites throughout the area, several lake-sustaining projects are complete. Wetlands around the former Linden Chemical and Plastics (LCP) site are now filled with native species that are attracting wildlife and more than 100,000 shrub willows are growing at the Shrub Willow Farm on the former settling basins. Two of three phases of the underground barrier wall between I-690 and the lake have been finished. A plan for the cleanup of Geddes Brook and Nine Mile Creek is almost complete.
Since the initial plans were announced in 2004, the DEC has held eight public meetings. Hundreds of community members have attended these meetings and commented during public comment periods. Honeywell has met with more than 50 local community, environmental, and conservation groups to keep the public informed and gather feedback. The DEC’s Citizen Participation Plan calls for citizen participation working groups to provide opportunities for the public to contribute information, opinions, perspectives, and recommendations.
The design includes use of one of the former settling basins in Camillus as a “sediment consolidation area” (SCA) to hold the sediment that is dredged from the lake. The basin is removed from residential communities and public facilities. Honeywell and DEC evaluated 16 locations for the SCA.
On December 9, 2004, the DEC and Honeywell held the first public meeting in the Town of Camillus. Since 2004 there have been a series of public meetings and extensive scientific work. Issues raised by the Town have been incorporated into the design.
Sediments will be hydraulically dredged from the lake and transported via a pipeline to the SCA. Advantages of this approach include greatly reduced truck traffic, emissions, as well as noise. The design calls for the use of geotextile tubes, which have a proven track record in these types of projects. Geotextile tubes are made to specific standards out of industrial strength materials. The tubes will retain the sediments and allow water to drain into a collection system and then be routed to a water treatment plant.
Geotextile tubes provide many community advantages, including effective odor control, a significant reduction in the size of the SCA, and enhanced buffer zones around the perimeter of the SCA for a safe, secure facility. Honeywell will submit a separate design later this fall to outline the construction of the SCA. Once the lake cleanup is complete, Honeywell will install a clay and clean soil cover.
Construction of the SCA will begin in 2011. The SCA will operate during the lake dredging from 2012 until 2016.
As Honeywell moves forward with the remaining designs, community input, and dialogue will remain an important component. The public will have an opportunity to review and comment during the intermediate and final designs.
The DEC issued the Dredging, Sediment Management & Water Treatment Initial Design Submittal for the Onondaga Lake Bottom Site in May 2009. The fact sheet can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/37558.html.
Individuals interested in more information should contact Honeywell at 315-431-4443, ext. 3.
For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, visit www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com.