CANADA
VERMONT Lake Ontario
Lake Erie NEW YORK MASSACHUSETTS
PENNSYLVANIA CONNECTICUT
Oswego Oneida
River OSWEGO COUNTY River
Oneida Lake Seneca
Seneca River Cross River
Cross Lake Lake Onondaga Lake
SYRACUSE Ninemile Creek Green Lake FAYETTEVILLE
ONONDAGA COUNTY
Skaneateles MADISON COUNTY
CAYUGA COUNTY CAYUGA Otisco Lake
Lake
CORTLAND COUNTY
Source: Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-1. Location of Onondaga Lake S Creek e c a r l n e R e il i v m w Lake Outlet a S
Liverpool ,'90
k o ro B dy o Mattydale lo Onondaga B Lakeland Lake Galeville
k e N e inem r ile C Cr y eek 690 e ,' L
Wes t F T lum r e ib k u o ta o r Onondaga Creek r y M B 5 A e s tr e o Unnamed Creek d d East Flume e H G ar bo Syracuse Solvay r B 695 ro ,' o k
Fairmount
k o o r Westvale B
r bo ar H ,'81
LEGEND
River or brook River or brook (below grade) Major road Minor road 0 1 2 Miles 0 1 2 3 Kilometers Source: NYSDOT (no date) Modified from Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-2. Onondaga Lake Area Tributaries and Roads LEGEND Creek a Approximate Location Sawmill and Extent Lake Outlet
LIVERPOOL
Brook
Bloody O n o n d a g a L a k e GALEVILLE Dredge Spoils Areaa
LAKELAND
Creek
Ninemile Creek Ley
Former Willis Brook In-lake West Avenue Plant Semet Waste SYRACUSE East Deposita Flume Residue Flume Ponds Tributary Onondaga
Geddes 5A Creek
Metro
Former Mathews LCP Bridge Main Plant Brook Ave. Harbor Landfill Street Facility Willis Avenue 0 2000 4000 6000 Ballfield Site SOLVAY feet Wastebed B/ meters Harbor Brook Site 0 1000 2000 Source: Modified from Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-3. Locations of Honeywell Former Facilities and Referenced Disposal Areas near Onondaga Lake ene2iver vke2yutlet EIW E2xhig22etlnd ET
wrin2 hredge2poils fsin tte2 xinemile2greek pirgrounds EIH rking xyrix2fesx glss2f
tte2 pirgrounds ter2 se2glssifition2foundry
riutry2Se y rix2fesx vey2greek emet2onds glss2g EIP illis2eve2 ist2plume lnt2ite
illis2eve2 FTWH fllfield2ite DE rror2frook2itesteed2fG grousel2wll ynondg2greek
rror2frook wiy EIW
pigure2IER ynondg2vke2s ynondg2vke2nd2iinity xoteX2figure2not2to2sle 1653 - Simon LeMoyne visits Onondaga Lake 1650
1750
1786 - Ephraim Webster establishes trading post at the mouth of Onondaga Creek 1794 - Salt manufacturing begins 1800 1817 - Population of Onondaga Lake area reaches 30,000 1822 - Lake level lowered to elevation of Seneca River during construction of barge canal 1848 - Population of Onondaga Lake area reaches 60,000 1850
1896 - City of Syracuse installs combined sanitary and stormwater sewers that discharge untreated waste 1884 - Solvay Process Company begins production of to Onondaga Creek and Harbor Brook soda ash 1900 - Population of Onondaga Lake area reaches 160,000 1900 1901 - Ice harvesting prohibited because of sewage contamination
1917 - Honeywell begins production of benzene, toluene, 1918 - Honeywell begins production of chlorine and and other compounds from distillation of coal chlorinated benzenes 1925 - City of Syracuse begins sewage treatment 1918 - Honeywell opens Willis Avenue chlor-alkali plant 1938 - Disposal of Honeywell waste into Onondaga Lake (non-mercury cell) ongoing in the vicinity of Wastebed B Prior to 1947 - Honeywell adds mercury cell to 1950 Willis Avenue chlor-alkali plant 1953 - Honeywell opens mercury cell chlor-alkali plant at Bridge Street 1960 1960 - Metro sewage treatment plant built
1970 - Fishing banned in Onondaga Lake because of 1970 1970 - Honeywell reduces plant effluent mercury loading mercury contamination from 21 to 1 lbs per day as stipulated in an August 1970 consent order 1970 - Honeywell closes BTX plant
1974 - Honeywell receives SPDES permit with total allowable loading of mercury to the lake set at 1.38 lbs per day 1977 - Honeywell closes chlorinated benzene plant 1977 - Honeywell closes Willis Avenue chlor-alkali plant and further reduces Bridge Street chlor-alkali process waste mercury loading to 0.028 lbs per day 1979 - Honeywell sells Bridge Street chlor-alkali plant to 1980 LCP 1981 - Solvay settling basin overflow directed to Metro
1985 - Phase I of the Onondaga County Combined Sewer 1986 - Catch and release fishing allowed in Onondaga Lake Overflow abatement program completed 1986 - Honeywell closes soda ash manufacturing operations
1988 - LCP closes Bridge Street chlor-alkali plant
1989 - State files Onondaga Lake suit against Honeywell 1990 - Phase II of the Onondaga County combined sewer 1990 overflow abatement program completed
1992 - AlliedSignal signs consent decree for Onondaga Lake RI/FS
1998 - AlliedSignal and NYSDEC sign amended consent decree for Onondaga Lake RI/FS
1999 - Fishing advisory amended to restricted consumption 2000 Source: Modified from Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-5. Significant Events in the History of Onondaga Lake 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
18,000 TPY 135,000 TPY 652,000 TPY New Plant 260,000 TPY 983 ,000 TPY Soda Ash New Plant Refined bicarbonate of soda
New Plant Snowflake (sodium sesquicarbonate) Process Changes Sodium nitrite
New Plant Ammonium bicarbonate
New Plant Ammonium chloride
New Plant Calcium chloride
Caustic soda
Chlor-alkali Prior to 1947 Diaphragm Cells Mercury Cells added Caustic soda (Willis Avenue) Diaphragm Cells Mercury Cells added Caustic soda (Bridge Street) Prior to 1947 KOH Plant On-Line Mercury Cells added Caustic potash (Willis Avenue)
Chlorine
New Plant Potassium carbonate
Potassium bicarbonate
BTX/Chlorinated Benzenes
Benzene, toluene, and xylene
Dichlorobenzene Separation Chlorinated benzenes
Hydrochloric acid
Note: TPY = tons per year
Source: Modified from Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-6. Periods of Production and Production Milestones for Major Product Lines at the Syracuse Works Creek
Lake Sawmill Outlet
LIVERPOOL
O n o n d a g a L a k e Bloody Brook GALEVILLE LAKELAND
6 5
4 11 3 Creek 9-10 Ley Ninemile Creek 8 2 L
Geddes 13 7 1 12 West Flume SYRACUSE Brook 14 Tributary 5A H 15 A Onondaga
Metro C B East Creek K
Flume Harbor G F Brook J SOLVAY E M D I
0 2000 4000 6000 feet meters 0 1000 2000
Source: Blasland & Bouck (1989) Modified from Exponent, 2001c
Figure 1-7. Historical Locations of Solvay Wastebeds