Honeywell Collects New Data for Lake Cleanup Design and Second Phase of Barrier Wall Construction
Honeywell has begun the next phase of sediment and water sample collection along the shoreline and in Onondaga Lake. The sampling data will be used in the design of the lake cleanup and construction of the second phase of the barrier wall along the Causeway Bridge (north of Interstate 690 and State Fair Boulevard).
Honeywell installs approximately 400 drains, 30 to 50 feet below the ground, that will gather contaminated groundwater collecting behind the Semet section of the barrier wall.
Throughout the spring and summer, sediment and water samples will be collected in the lake between Nine Mile Creek and Onondaga Creek to determine how groundwater flows into Onondaga Lake and to measure water quality within the lake sediments. Barges in the southwestern corner of the lake will collect sediment samples, which will be used to design the second phase of the barrier wall, the Willis/Causeway section.
Last week, Honeywell began installing equipment that will support the collection and treatment of groundwater collection behind the Semet section of the barrier wall. When construction of all three sections of the wall is complete, the one-and-one-half mile barrier wall will stop contaminated groundwater from reaching Onondaga Lake.
“The data collection and construction work continues our progress on the cleanup of Onondaga Lake,” said Honeywell Syracuse Program Director John McAuliffe. “By finishing the Willis Avenue Groundwater Treatment Plant one year ahead of schedule, we are able to speed up each phase of the barrier wall construction. This will ensure we stop contamination from entering the lake and begin construction of the lake cleanup on schedule.The work for the lake cleanup Remedial Design Work Plan is on track and will be finalized this summer.”
The barrier wall is being built in three phases under the supervision of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Phase one, the Semet section, extends from the West Side Pump Station (near Exit 7 on I-690) to the Causeway Bridge. This construction was completed in December 2006.
The second section, the Willis/Causeway section, will extend from the Semet section to the East Flume, and the third section, the Harbor Brook portion, will extend from the East Flume to Harbor Brook.
For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, visit www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com.
