Onondaga Nation

People of the Hills

Onondaga Lake Plan Will Remove Corporate Liability Leaving Toxic Waste In Place

by

Report Picks Apart New York State-Honeywell Plan as Completely Inadequate
Mercury And Other Hazards Will Still Threaten Syracuse

June 30, 2005—The Onondaga Nation today released a detailed report
pointing out numerous threats to public health in the “clean-up
plan” for Onondaga Lake that New York State and Honeywell have
agreed upon.  The report highlights the need for more extensive
remediation and a better, comprehensive analysis on the final results.

“The plan pushed by the State and Honeywell will remove only some
of the toxic waste, put a temporary cap on only some the toxic waste
that’s left, and pretend that the superfund sites leaching their
poisons into Onondaga Lake don’t exist,” said Joe Heath,
attorney for the Onondaga Nation.  “The only thing this plan
cleans up is Honeywell’s corporate liability, leaving the taxpayers
to foot the bill once the long-term public health threat is exposed.”

From 1884 to 1986, Allied Chemical and AlliedSignal, who since merged
with the Honeywell Corporation, used the region’s natural salt
brines and limestone to produce soda ash and other industrial chemicals
on the southwest side of Onondaga Lake.  The pollution from these
facilities turned the Lake, a former resort destination, into one of
the most polluted bodies of water in North America.  Although the
site has been designated a Federal Superfund Site for over a decade,
the United States Environmental Protection Agency ceded its authority
for clean up to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC).

“Onondaga Lake has been the center of our cultural heritage
since time immemorial,” said Sidney Hill, Tadodaho (spiritual leader),
Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs.  “It is a tragedy that
the governments of the United States and New York State sat on their
hands while Honeywell’s factories dumped their poisons on our precious
resources.  But we will not sit still while there is a chance to
clean up and reclaim the Lake for all of Central New York.”

The Onondaga Nation’s report, prepared by Stratus Consulting,
details numerous problems with the clean-up plan, including a failure
to clean up the major toxic chemicals to levels defined by the DEC in
its own plan.

Toxic Chemical

Estimated concentration
in Onondaga Lake bottom sediment after clean-up

Factor by which this
concentration exceeds safe level defined by NYS

mercury

2,924 ppm

1,329 times higher

benzene

208 ppm

1,387 times higher

chlorobenzene

114 ppm

266 times higher

dichlorobenzene

90 ppm

377 times higher

naphthalene

20,573 ppm

22,435 times higher

xylene

142 ppm

253 times higher

ethlybenzene

1,655 ppm

9,043 times higher

toluene

2,626 ppm

62,524 times higher

Other issues include:

  • The plan does not sufficiently protect
    public health or the environment.
  • The plan does not set real life goals:
    when will the fish be edible?  When
    will it be safe to swim?
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    Even after the proposed dredging, significant levels of contamination
    will remain.
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    There is no guarantee the proposed cap will work.
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    The plan is based on an inadequate assessment of the risks posed by
    the current contamination and underestimates the risks that the public
    and the environment will face after the work is done.
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    The plan will not work unless the upland sources of contaminants are
    properly cleaned up.
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    The plan
    does not even discuss restoring the lake to pre-polluted condition,
    as mandated by state and federal law and regulations.
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    Honeywell and government officials did not coordinate with the Onondaga
    Nation or with local citizens in developing the proposed remedial action
    plan.

“By forcing this plan on the
residents of Syracuse and Central New York, Governor Pataki and the
DEC is missing a terrific opportunity,” concluded Heath.  “The
Onondaga insist that any clean up should return the Lake is returned
to its original condition, clean enough to eat its fish.  It’s
unfortunate that the State is siding with the polluter and settling
for a continuing legacy of toxic waste.”