NY Governor Cuomo Declares Onondaga Lake Cleanup Complete

Last week NY Governor Cuomo declared that the cleanup of Onondaga Lake was complete. 

This is sad. In no way does this mean that Onondaga Lake is now clearn.

A clean Onondaga Lake is important. Covering pollution with caps is a deficient as that consciousness of pollution, toxicity and disregard for Mother Earth is picked up by the thousands of Ley Lines emanating from the Fields of Consciousness found there. That consciousness is then carried to the farthest corners of the world--imbuing and polluting the hearts and others with that intention. Awful.

Here is what NOON (Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation) had to say:

  Onondaga Nation's Sacred Lake

The Onondaga Nation, supported by NOON and others, has long maintained that the cleanup of Onondaga Lake is far from adequate. But these voices have had little impact on the forward movement to put this Superfund site behind us.

Governor Cuomo has announced that the lake revitalization has been completed ahead of schedule.

With little public notice an Open House was held at the Honeywell Visitors Center last month to present information on plans for restoration around the lake. Notice was published in a DEC Bulletin just three days before this event. Joe Heath, Onondaga Nation's lawyer, has stated the plan “is close to 100 pages and it's somewhat technical. They've been negotiating this for 10 years, and then to give the public one-one-hundredth of the time it took to generate the thing doesn't respect public input." It “makes little mention of the Onondaga Nation or its cultural losses.” “How do you put a dollar sign on the loss of a sacred lake?" Heath asked. "The leadership of the nation was not willing to put a dollar amount on a sacred loss."

A Syracuse's Post Standard Editorial on April 25 addressed the issue of the short notice.
“It took a century to turn Onondaga Lake into the nation's most polluted water body. It took decades to hold the industrial polluters to account and to engineer plans for cleaning up the toxic mess. It took 10 years for the federal and state governments to come up with a plan to "compensate" the residents of Syracuse, Onondaga County and the Onondaga Nation for their inability to enjoy the lake or use it for fishing, recreation or spiritual activities.

So, after all this time, why is the public getting the bum's rush?


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New York state Department of Environmental Conservation dropped their 73-page damage assessment/restoration proposal  around 3 p.m. Monday. Theone and only public meeting on the matter - an "open house" -- is scheduled for 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, 2017, at the Honeywell Visitors Center on the west side of the lake.”

Although the Governor has directed the DEC to schedule three additional public information sessions between now and the June 2 deadline for comment, it is not certain when they will happen of how much notice the public will receive.
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Proposal for projects restoring wildlife habitat and recreation on Onondaga Lake

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are considering a series of projects to restore and protect wildlife habitat and water quality and increase recreational opportunities at Onondaga Lake, as outlined in a draft restoration plan and environmental assessment released today for public comment through June 2, 2017. The draft plan may be found at http://nyfo.fws.gov/ec/files/onondaga/Onondaga_RPEA_Press_Release.pdf.

For decades, mercury and other hazardous substances were released into Onondaga Lake and its tributaries and uplands. Due to this industrial pollution, Onondaga Lake was designated a Superfund site in 1994, launching a comprehensive remediation of the Lake and additional sites in the area, and through various court proceedings, the responsible parties must now also pay for the damages to natural resources this contamination has caused.

As part of the Onondaga Lake natural resource damage assessment and restoration process, the Service and NYSDEC assessed contaminant-related injuries to natural resources such as waterfowl and turtles, and quantified the lost use of natural resources to the public, such as fishing. The agencies then solicited restoration project ideas from stakeholders to identify the types and scale of restoration needed to compensate for those injuries. The ultimate goal of this process is to replace, restore, rehabilitate, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources and resource services lost due to the release of hazardous substances—at no cost to the taxpayer.

The agencies analyze 20 restoration projects in the draft restoration plan and environmental assessment. These projects, in total, include the following benefits:

-Extension of the Erie Canalway Trail from Camillus to the Loop the Lake Trail (3.2 miles) and from the Honeywell Visitor Center to Harbor Brook (1.2 miles);
-Preservation, habitat restoration and public access to over 1,400 acres along Ninemile and Onondaga Creeks in the Onondaga Lake watershed, including public fishing rights and parking areas;
-Installation of structures within over 275 acres of Onondaga Lake to provide habitat for fish, amphibians and invertebrates;
-Fifteen years of funding for the identification and removal of invasive species within about 1,700 acres of wetlands, lake/river littoral zone and riparian habitat;
-Restoration of wetland and fish habitat at Onondaga County parklands;
100 acres of warm season grassland restoration;
-Deepwater fishing pier on Onondaga Lake;
-Enhancement of jetties at the Onondaga Lake outlet to improve access for all;
-Boat launch to be developed along the Seneca River;
-Transfer of the Honeywell Visitor Center to a public agency;
-Future Restoration Projects Fund.

The agencies are soliciting comments on this draft plan through June 2, 2017. Comments may be submitted by mail to Anne Secord, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, New York 13045 and by email to anne_secord@fws.gov. Written comments were accepted at a Public Open House, to be held at the Honeywell Visitor Center (280 Restoration Way, Syracuse, New York) on April 27, 2017 from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

Representatives from the Service and DEC will be on hand at the Public Open House to explain the natural resource damage assessment and restoration process, and the draft plan and environmental assessment. After the comment period closes, feedback will be closely reviewed and any necessary changes made to a final document identifying the chosen restoration.

Under federal law, federal and state agencies and Native American tribes are authorized to act as trustees on behalf of the public for natural resources they own, manage or control. In this role, trustees assess and recover damages or implement restoration projects to compensate for injuries to natural resources due to hazardous substance releases (e.g. mercury).The natural resource damage assessment regulations encourage the participation of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) in the assessment process, and Honeywell agreed to cooperatively assess natural resource damages and identify restoration projects at Onondaga Lake with the trustees. Read more information on this process at https://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecologicalservices/nrdar.html.

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Fish biologist, Dr. Neil Ringler is making the case for the restoration of Onondaga Lake's native species through scientific experiments.
Onondaga Lake Fish signs do no imply that the clean up is sufficient.

PLEASE NOTE: The agencies are soliciting comments on this draft plan through June 2, 2017. They can be submitted by mail to Anne Secord, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, New York 13045 and by email to anne_secord@fws.gov. Written comments will presumably be accepted at any additional Public Open House as they were at the one held on April 27th.