Onondagalake Citizen Participation Plan

ONONDAGALAKE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN Community Participation Working Group www.onondagalake.info Meeting Notes

June 4, 2013, 4:00PM, Honeywell Onondaga Lake Visitor Center, Geddes, NY Next Meeting: August 6, 2013, Location TBD

Attendance:Mark Boorady, Nancy Bronstein, Becky Corbin, Bill Davern, Jeff Freedman, Steve Germano, Hugh Kimball, Kathy MacRae, Les Monostory, Roger Pisarek, Jack Ramsden, Allen Silverstone Staff: (DEC) Don Hesler (by phone), Bob Edwards, Mary Jane Peachey, Reggie Parker, Tara Blum and (Honeywell) Craig Milburn Guests: John Hassett (SUNY-ESF) and Paul Czerwinski (Barton &Loguidice) Absent: Jim McMahon and Frank Moses

Becky called the meeting to order at 4:04PM.

1. Project Update: Craig said that approximately 101,000 cubic yards was dredged in May and 373,500 cu yds has been dredged since the start. Capping is on-going and currently working in areas that dredging is not needed. Work on Ninemile Creek will start in next week or so and will be similar to work done on the upper section of Nine Mile Creek last year. When asked about the Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps, he said they had a small project planned this month and are planning a larger event around Ninemile Creek later in the year. Craig and Bob Edwards responded to a question about the covers on the geotubes by advising that the tarp covers around the moats and tube areas are being installed. As regards the Onondaga County work on the Loop the Lake Trail in the area of Ninemile Creek, Craig said that remediation work will eventually move downstream near the area the County is building the bridge over Nine Mile Creek. Honeywell does have a temporary bridge in place on the creek.

2. Odor Update:Mary Jane said that the written decision from the Federal Court dismissing the residents’ injunction had been received. Mary Jane and Reggie answered questions about recent odors. Mary Jane said that complaints of odors are still coming in, especially in the early morning and when the wind is from the southwest. Recently, on a Saturday morning, there were several calls in a half hour period. DEC responded, however, the odors dissipated before measurements could be taken. This is often the case. Odors are fleeting and gone a short time after they are noticed and reported. Sometimes the “mothball – like” smell is accompanied by a “body odor – like” smell. Most of the calls are from Golden Meadows, but a few calls are coming from other downwind areas as well. There have been a few complaints of physical symptoms. There was a brief discussion of measurement methods and methodology with good contributions by John Hassett. Bob Edwards said the only shutdowns of the dredging had been weather related and coordinated with the Metro treatment plant during rain events.

3. Discussion of Potential sources of Odors with John Hassett: John was invited to address the Group at the urging of Jeff and Allen. He started his discussion by advising us that his specialty was “trace organic chemicals in water” and Onondaga Lake provided a wealth of opportunities for study. He said that his study of the Lake in the 1990’s revealed dichlorobenzene and naphthalene along the area now known as the Geddes Lakeshore. In the Lake near Harbor Brook, the naphthalene was particularly prevalent. He also found diphenylethanes which do not smell and have unknown toxicity and might be from the coal tar process. His feeling was that the dichlorobenzene and the naphthalene were the odor causers as they both give off a mothball smell. Responding to a question from Jeff, John was asked if there could be a connection between the sediment from the lake bottom and the odors or if there could be an organic cause of the odors. In both cases, it seemed that John was responding that the odors were most likely coming from the water as it is separated from the sediments since the dredged material is in a closed system right up to the geotubes. The dewatering of the tubes is where the opportunity for release into the air is likely. John also mentioned that another ESF scientist had observed a fungus that was a result of the coal tar process. This fungus might appear on the gravel in the geotube area and could account for a “bad body odor” smell. Between John, Bob, Reggie, Mary Jane, Craig and several members of the Group, there was a wide ranging discussion of the history of sampling of sediments, what had been anticipated and what actually occurred once dredging started, and what other methods of measuring odors might exist. The gist of the discussion seemed to be that you can detect the presence of chemicals that cause odors but the assessment of what smells is a highly subjective process as each individual has a difference tolerance. Bob said that covering the tubes as they are being filled is impractical, but they are covered as soon as they are full. The dewatering starts as soon as material is pumped into the bags, so there is opportunity for exposure to the air. The mitigation measures that were put in place like the windscreen, the misting process, and the changes to the tube area all seem to be helping. However, the odor issue continues to be a challenge even though it is better than it was.

4. Future Meeting Planning: Becky suggested that we talk about summer meetings. It was decided to not meet in July and schedule our next meeting for August 6th. Election of officers will occur in September and Becky will not consider another year as Chair. Jack said he was agreeable to remain as Secretary. The August meeting will include a discussion of Group leadership to be voted on in September. Also, the By-Laws encourage membership renewal. There are four members who have served since the CPWG was formed in July 2009 (Jeff, Hugh, Les, and Jack). Becky suggested that members who might want to leave the Group could do so at any time and the August meeting might be a good time to discuss that as well.

5. Onondaga Lake Watershed Partnership (OLWP): Jack and Les reported that a watershed coordinator had been selected but neither knew the name. Guiding principles of the OLWP had been drafted but not accepted by the group officially. Onondaga Environmental Institute continues to work on federal enabling legislation for the OLWP, but it has not been submitted yet.

Meeting was adjourned at 5:39PM. Most of the group moved to the boat dock for a tour of the dredging area by boat. Tour was led by Craig and Bob and lasted approximately one hour. The observation of the dredging operations viewed from the water gives greater insight into the complexity of the project.