Onondaga Lake restoration began in the 1970s, and has resulted in significant improvements in water quality.

The 1970s: Lake Restoration Begins

In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act. The act stipulated that all United States fresh waters should be suitable for swimming and the propagation of fish and other aquatic life. In response to the Clean Water Act, New York State classified its waters as to best use, either for drinking water, swimming or fishing. The best use classification for Onondaga lake includes swimming and fish propagation and secondary recreation. New York State also created a system of discharge permits to control and ultimately eliminate pollution which would threaten the usage and degrade the quality of its waters. Enactment and enforcement of various environmental laws including the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and state and federal Superfund regulations, have brought about improvements in the lake. Other actions taken in the 1970s included:

• County and state
bans on the use of phosphorus in laundry detergents
Lawsuit against Allied Chemical Corp. to stop mercury dumping
• Upgrade to the Metro plant to improve
sewage treatment
Closure of Allied Chemical Corporation's chlorinated benzene and Willis Ave. chlor-alkali plants
Studies on impacts of industrial wastes, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and treated sewage

The 1980s: Combined Sewer Overflow Reduction, Legal Complaints Filed

In 1981, the County improved sewage treatment at Metro again, and in 1987 implemented "best management practices" for sewer interception, which reduced combined sewer overflow events by 90%. In 1988, the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, the New York State Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Conservation filed a complaint against the Onondaga County Department of Drainage and Sanitation alleging violation of its state discharge permit. In 1989, the New York State Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Conservation filed a complaint against Allied-Signal Inc. for pollution violations and resource damage. Other actions taken in the 1980s included:

Industrial pre-treatment program instituted by the County (1982)
Closure of Allied Corporation's soda ash facility (1986)
• Catch and release
fishing reinstatement (1986)
Closure of LCP-Hanlin's Bridge Street chlor-alkali plant due to illegal mercury dumping (1988).

The 1990s: OL Management Conference, the ACJ, and the OL Partnership

Congress passed legislation in 1990 forming the Onondaga Lake Management Conference consisting of representatives from local, state and federal governments. Congress mandated that the Management Conference develop and implement a strategy for restoring Onondaga Lake. The Management Conference drafted a Plan for Action in 1993 that outlined recommendations for lake restoration.

The Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) was signed in 1998. The ACJ requires the County to upgrade the existing sewage treatment system and construct new facilities and transport systems to comply with permit discharge limits and water quality standards. The ACJ is designed to achieve full compliance with the Clean Water Act by 2012. It outlines a 15-year schedule of phased upgrades to Metro and the CSOs. It also requires an extensive monitoring program for Onondaga Lake, its tributaries and the Seneca River to measure water quality improvements.

Legislation was enacted in 1999 that replaced the Management Conference with the Onondaga Lake Partnership on August 17, 2000. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leads the Partnership. The Partnership provides a framework for local, state and federal governments to cooperate in restoring Onondaga Lake.

Other actions taken in the 1990s included:

• Research and remediation projects by the OL Management Conference (1991)
• Modifications to pump stations at Liverpool and Ley Creek to eliminate raw sewage overflows (1991)
• Completion of Onondaga Lake Water Quality Technical Report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1992)
• Commencement of aquatic habitat restoration projects in Onondaga lake (1994)
• Completion of mudboil remediation projects to reduce flow of sediment to Onondaga Creek (1995)
• Onondaga Lake added to Federal Superfund National Priority List (1995)
• Ban lifted on eating certain species of fish from Onondaga Lake (1999)

Onondaga Lake Today

A variety of cleanup efforts are underway today, and important progress has been made. As a result of both reduction in pollution sources and remediation efforts, Onondaga Lake water quality has improved significantly since the 1970s. To learn more about the Lake's current status see Pollution Status. To learn more about the cleanup efforts, see Cleaning Up Onondaga Lake.

For More Information

More details on the pollution and restoration history of Onondaga Lake are available on the Pollution History Timeline.