Pollutants & Sources

Phosphorus Ammonia & Nitrite Combined Sewer Overflows Mercury & Other Industrial Wastes Sediment Loading: Tully Valley Mudboils Salinity Nonpoint Source Pollution

Historically, the Tully Valley mudboils were responsible for significant sedimentation of Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Lake; however, sediment from this source has been greatly reduced.

What Are the Tully Valley Mudboils?

Mudboils are holes in the earth that discharge mud and soft sediments from underground. They are associated with groundwater flow under pressure. The Tully Valley mudboils are located about 15 miles upstream from the mouth of Onondaga Creek.

Mudboils and Sediment Loading

Tully Valley mudboil

Newspapers reported mudboils in Tully as early as 1899. Anecdotal information indicates the amount of sediments discharged to Onondaga Creek from these structures has increased over the years. The occurrence of the mudboils have been attributed to Allied-Signal's solution mining activities in the Tully Valley, although there is some disagreement over this contention. According to the United States Geological Survey, the average sediment loading to Onondaga Creek from the mudboil area between October 1991 and March 1992 was approximately 30 tons per day.

Sedimentation Effects on Onondaga Creek and Lake

Mudboil discharges sediment to Onondaga Creek

Onondaga Creek has a murky, muddy-brown appearance especially during periods of high water flow. This is a result of high concentrations of clay and silt in the creek. Most of these materials come from the Tully Valley mudboils. Much of the Onondaga Creek stream bed downstream from the mudboil area is covered with sediments discharged from the mudboils. The muddy sediments:

• Reduce
habitats suitable for aquatic insects and other bottom life
• Reduce
fish spawning and plant growth in Onondaga Creek
• Significantly contribute to the
sediment loading to Onondaga Lake.

Onondaga Creek contributes more than 50% of the annual tributary sediment load to the lake due in large part to the mudboils.

Mudboil Remediation Efforts

Since 1992, the Onondaga Lake Partnership (and formerly, the Onondaga Lake Management Conference) has supported, through the efforts of he United States Geologic Survey (USGS), the following remedial activities:

Diversion of surface water away from the mud boils
• Installation of a
dam on the stream that flows from the mud boil area
• Drilling of
wells to reduce pressure around the mud-boils.

These efforts have been successful in reducing the amount of sediment flowing into the Onondaga Creek, to less than 1 ton per day.

Further information on mudboils can be found by accessing the USGS references below:

• Kappel, W.M., Sherwood, D.A., and Johnston, W.H., 1996, Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley and characterization of mudboil activity, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4043, 71 pp.
• Kappel, W.M. and McPherson, W.S., 1998, Remediation of mudboil discharges in the Tully Valley of Central New York: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS 143-97, 4 pp.

Other Sedimentation Sources

High concentrations of calcium discharged to the lake from soda ash production caused massive quantities of calcium carbonate to accumulate on the lake bottom. These deposits have accelerated the rate at which Onondaga Lake is filling in and eliminated habitats suitable to support a normal near-shore biological community. See Salinity for more information about this sedimentation source.