$20 Million State-of-the-Art Groundwater Treatment System Will Prevent Contaminated Groundwater from Reaching Onondaga Lake
Honeywell, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), April 7, 2005 began constructing a $20 million groundwater treatment system to prevent contaminated groundwater from reaching Onondaga Lake. The system consists of a groundwater pumping station to collect groundwater at the lake’s edge, a treatment facility located at the former Allied Chemical Willis Avenue site, and a one and one-half mile long barrier wall along the shoreline. The water treatment system is a critical step in the lake cleanup process and must be completed before the cleanup of the lake itself can begin. Honeywell has already invested more than $20 million on remediation of the former Allied properties.
Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro; Town of Geddes Supervisor Bob Czaplicki; DEC Region 7 Director Ken Lynch; Honeywell Director of Remediation Dave Wickersham; and O’Brien & Gere Chief Executive Officer Terry Brown, the engineering contractor for the facility, joined Syracuse community leaders in a ground-breaking ceremony at the site located off Willis Avenue near the corner of State Fair Boulevard.
Officials kick-off the start of construction at the Willis Avenue groundwater treatment facility. Pictured left to right are NYS DEC Region 7 Director Ken Lynch, Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro, Honeywell Director of Remediation Dave Wickersham, Town of Geddes Supervisor Bob Czaplicki and O’Brien & Gere CEO Terry Brown.
“This groundwater treatment facility is an essential element of the lake cleanup,” said DEC Regional Director Lynch. “The system will safely and effectively treat contaminated groundwater at the old Allied Chemical sites before it is sent back to the lake. Honeywell has made significant strides over the last two years at the upland sites and it’s great to be able to witness this progress today.”
Pirro noted, “This represents an important milestone in the history of Onondaga County as we stand together poised to move further ahead in the cleanup of Onondaga Lake. We all want a beautiful lake our future generations can enjoy. To accomplish that goal, we must focus on the necessary work to clean up areas that continue to contaminate this precious natural resource and the groundwater treatment system is a positive step in that direction.”
Wickersham added, “When this project is complete, contaminated groundwater from the old Allied sites will not enter Onondaga Lake. Over the coming months the community will begin to see progress at other upland sites as well.”
Construction began April 7, 2005 on the Willis Avenue groundwater treatment facility which will stop contaminated groundwater from entering Onondaga Lake. Here, a perimeter trench is being dug as the first step in building the foundation wall of the treatment facility.
Honeywell will spend at least $50 million more on additional projects around Onondaga Lake, including Nine Mile Creek, Geddes Brook, Harbor Brook and the East Flume. “The cleanup of these waterways holds great potential for additional recreation and conservation,” Wickersham said.
“Work on the Onondaga Lake cleanup is underway and it’s exciting to finally see we are making progress,” said Czaplicki. “It is important to keep this momentum going so this wonderful natural resource can be enjoyed by our community in our lifetimes.”
Essential elements of the groundwater collection and treatment system include:
- a one and one-half mile long and 45 foot deep barrier wall will be built below ground along the shoreline preventing contaminated groundwater from entering the lake;
- groundwater will be collected at the lake’s edge behind the barrier wall;
- a groundwater pumping station at the lake’s edge will send the collected groundwater to two 250,000 gallon covered water storage tanks via piping under I-690;
- the groundwater will be sent at a controlled rate from the tanks to a 20,000 square foot prefabricated treatment facility;
- the first phase of the treatment separates the metals such as mercury from the water;
- solids will be filtered out and trucked to an off-site DEC-approved facility;
- organic chemicals, such as benzene and chlorobenzene, will then be separated from the water, and treated in the air treatment area, which is located next to the main facility;
- the water will be “carbon polished,” a process where carbon acts like a magnet to draw out chemicals from the water;
- treated water will be tested to ensure it meets DEC guidelines prior to being sent to the lake via the piping to be installed under I-690.
Completion of the system is expected in the spring of 2006. More information on plans for the lake cleanup is available at www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com.
