Daily Orange: by Taylor Watson Recreational trails surround the shores of Onondaga Lake, but warning signs read “Please Stay on Trail.” If walkers wander off the path, they could kick up toxic dust.
When stagehands set up for events at the Lakeview Amphitheatre, some experience respiratory problems from breathing in vaporized contaminants.
Those who fish in Onondaga Lake find mercury-filled catches.
Although the water quality has improved over the past five years, Onondaga Lake and surrounding areas remain hazardous, said Joe Heath, general counsel for the Onondaga Nation, which considers the lake sacred. Remediation efforts carried out by corporate entities that caused the pollution are often insufficient, he said.