Onondaga County, N.Y., Announces Onondaga Lake Agreement

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis joined together to announce what they consider landmark revisions to a 1998 judgment governing the cleanup of Onondaga Lake. The agreement will make Onondaga County step forward in the use of new, "green" infrastructure approaches to combat longstanding environmental management problems.

The new agreement--approved by a federal judge--replaces a 1998 consent order that mandated the construction of a number of large scale water treatment systems to reduce sewer overflows into the tributaries of Onondaga Lake. Instead, the county will use a decentralized approach to hold, infiltrate and clean polluted runoff in a manner that mimics nature. The same money that would have been deployed to build three concentrated industrial structures and massive pipe storage systems will now go toward a mixed "green" and "grey" infrastructure system that includes installing vegetated infiltration basins, roof gardens, tree boxes, cisterns and pocket wetlands, the county said.

"Since my first day in office, I have made it my personal mission to change the course of the Onondaga Lake cleanup," said County Executive Joanie Mahoney. "I am proud to be here today to announce that we have been successful. Judge Scullin's signature allows our community to move forward in a responsible way that all county residents should be proud of. I am grateful to Commissioner Grannis and the EPA for their support. Without their support this agreement would never have been possible."

The county has been under court order since 1998 to reduce pollution flowing into Onondaga Lake from combined sewer overflows (CSO). Sewer pipes that operate as storm drains when it rains can be overwhelmed by runoff from roadways, rooftops, bare soil and sloped lawns, causing overflows into Onondaga Lake tributaries.

U.S. District Judge Frederick Scullin's approval of the settlement allows Onondaga County to begin a program to incorporate new, combined technology on a large scale, making it one of the first counties in the nation to implement such a plan, according to Onondaga County. In addition to storm water management, green infrastructure will provide several benefits to the community including improved environmental and economic development benefits, reduced costs for construction, operation and maintenance and the inclusion of green elements that will add aesthetic character to Central New York communities, the county said.

Onondaga County reached the agreement with the other parties of the 1998 consent order--DEC and the Atlantic States Legal Foundation--and with the participation of the Onondaga Nation.

"This agreement is a win-win that will save taxpayers money and speed the clean-up of Onondaga Lake; it represents a new future for wastewater and pollution reduction,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer. “I commend the hard work of County Executive Mahoney to reach a settlement with the DEC, Atlantic States Legal Foundation and the Onondaga Nation to put Onondaga Lake on the forefront of innovation to reduce pollution. I look forward to working with the County to support this project and hold it up as a model for other communities."

Source: Onondaga County