Onondaga Lake Cleanup

Concerns about Onondaga Lake cleanup remain as a key phase nears completion
By JP Hadley
April 4, 2017 - 11:45am
The dredging phase of the lake wrapped up in 2014, but as the process of capping the lake bottom nears completion, Onondaga Nation still has concerns about the cleanup.

The Onondaga Lake cleanup has moved on to the next phase in the project.

The dredging process – where tons of contaminated sediment from the lake bottom are moved to another location in the lake to ease coastal erosion, was completed in 2014. The work on capping the lake, which involves covering 579 acres of the lake's bottom with a layer of sand to keep the underlying mercury and other toxins in place, is still underway. However, not all parties are satisfied with the cleanup process.

Onondaga Lake cleanup project begins after 15 years of planning
By Gwendolyn Craig
October 16, 2012 - 5:44am
Syracuse companies begin four year process of dredging toxic waste from Onondaga Lake.

Before the dredging on Onondaga Lake began this past summer, Monday nights were bocce nights at the lake’s park. There was gossip, laughter and the clicks of metal hitting metal.  As soon as the wind blew, however, the air became pungent, giving the lake away. 

The stench made the bocce players’ noses wrinkle, but they kept playing. 

Far across on the west and southwest shores, the waters began to stir.

Environmentalist brings community attention to hydrofracking
By Gwendolyn Craig
September 26, 2012 - 10:00pm
Jack Ramsden's life dedication is to spread the news about hydrofracking and other environmental issues in Central New York.

If you Google “hydrofracking lease maps in Onondaga County,” the first link will bring you to a map that looks as if it’s stained with dried blood. The drips and drabs congregate mostly in Skaneateles, Marcellus, Onondaga, Spafford, Otisco and Tully, but slowly creep higher into other parts of Central New York.

Save the date for "Save the Rain"
By Gwendolyn Craig
September 19, 2012 - 5:55pm
Stop by the "Save the Rain" program Saturday, Sept. 22 to learn about the Onondaga Lake cleanup and other sustainability efforts around Syracuse.

Rain or shine, “Save the Rain,” a program dedicated to reducing pollution in Onondaga Lake, will host the 2012 Clean Water Fair this Saturday, Sept. 22 from 9 a.m.—2 p.m. at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant. The fair will update visitors on “Save the Rain” projects.