Download RESTORING ONONDAGA LAKE: NONPOINT SOURCE

The Onondaga Lake Partnership (OLP) promotes
cooperation among federal, state, and local governments,
and other involved parties in the management of the
environmental issues of Onondaga Lake and the
Onondaga Lake watershed in Central New York.
Six Executive Partners comprise the OLP:
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation
• New York State Attorney General’s Office
• Onondaga County
• City of Syracuse
The Executive Committee establishes and maintains
the mission of the partnership and the lake improvement
effort.
The Project Committee serves as the partnership’s
technical center of expertise on specific projects.
The Resource Committee develops and maintains the
funding strategy for projects.
The Outreach Committee works to enhance public
knowledge and understanding of the partnership and the
status of the lake improvement effort.
You can contact the Onondaga Lake Partnership at:
1-800-833-6390
www.onlakepartners.org
or write:
Onondaga Lake Partnership
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, New York 14207
This brochure was reviewed by the individual members of
the Onondaga Lake Partnership (OLP) and approved for
release to the public for purposes of providing general
overview information. Approval for release does not
signify adoption or approval for purposes of regulatory,
enforcement or other legal actions, of the factual,
scientific or legal assertions, characterizations or
conclusions contained herein.
Funding for this brochure provided from US
Environmental Protection Agency through the OLP.
A clean lake reflects well on all of us.
R ESTORING
O NONDAGA L AKE :
N ONPOINT S OURCE
P OLLUTION
NPS: T HE
POLLUTION PROBLEM WE
CAN ALL HELP SOLVE
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution may be a
strange-sounding term to many of us, but it’s an
ongoing situation that’s actually quite familiar to
all of us. It refers to water pollution that doesn’t
come from a single, identifiable source or point
such as a discharge pipe into a body of water.
Instead, nonpoint pollution originates from
many sources, spread out over a large area and is
one of the pollution problems affecting Onondaga
Lake. During wet weather conditions like rainstorms
or melting snow, when water runs over the land or
through the ground, pollutants can be picked up
with the runoff and deposited in surface waters or
introduced into groundwater. Some examples
include sediments from construction sites, road salt,
street litter, pesticides and fertilizers that can be
carried with runoff into nearby lakes and streams.
In fact, anything put on the land or in the streets
anywhere in the lake’s 285-square-mile watershed
could end up in Onondaga Lake. With a variety of
land uses in the lake’s watershed, including urban
and suburban areas, agricultural land and forests, a
variety of pollutants can enter the lake with runoff.
Controlling nonpoint source pollution is much
more difficult than limiting or treating pollution
from a single point source. The Onondaga Lake
Partnership (OLP) has identified nonpoint source
pollution as a priority issue for lake restoration
and has funded projects aimed at reducing the
amount of NPS entering the lake and its tributaries.
Because this is one type of
pollution that everyone living
in the watershed can help
reduce, it is vital that everyone
understands its impact and
learns how we can all help
reduce it.
Skimmer boat removes tons of
floatable debris from inner harbor.
Grass waterway to control erosion from runoff.
Planting buffer strip in parking lot
to reduce runoff.
RURAL NONPOINT SOURCE
POLLUTION
Rural nonpoint source pollution refers to
contaminants generated from a rural/agricultural
setting. Currently, there are nearly 100 farms in
the Onondaga Lake watershed with the majority
involved in dairy farming.
Runoff from barnyards and farmlands can
carry manure and fertilizers which are high in
nutrients (phosphorus and ammonia) into nearby
streams and from
there into Onondaga
Lake. Excess phosphorus and ammonia
are two of the leading
problems with the
Lake. Too much
phosphorus leads to
algae growth which Before erosion control measures.
can result in reduced oxygen levels in the lake
because the algae consume oxygen when
they die.
Ammonia at high levels can be toxic to fish.
The Onondaga Lake Partnership supports
implementation of farm management practices
that can help reduce polluted agricultural runoff
and its impact on the lake.
Most of the measures are targeted at improving
manure handling and containment practices,
creating buffer zones between nearby streams
and active livestock areas, diverting clean runoff
and preventing erosion.
Through New York State’s Agricultural
Environmental Management Initiative, the
Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation
District is providing technical and financial
assistance to farmers to help put a number of pollution
control measures in place in the Onondaga Lake watershed.
The Onondaga Lake Partnership supports this program
through grant monies from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Pollution control measures implemented under the
program include: planting grass waterways, diversion ditches,
strip cropping, crop and grazing rotation, vegetative buffer
strips, milkhouse waste treatment, improved stream crossings,
culverts and fencing.
Together with barnyard improvements like roofwater
management, concrete pads, filter
areas and contained waste storage,
these new practices will result in
reducing nonpoint source pollution from agricultural areas.
OLP is also implementing
streambank stabilization projects
at sites along Onondaga Creek to
After planting of new vegetative buffer area. reduce and prevent erosion,
another nonpoint source of lake pollution.
URBAN NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION
That Styrofoam cup you dropped, the motor oil spilled on
your driveway, extra fertilizer and pesticides used on your
lawn—all can end up in the lake and contribute to its water
quality problems. These are
examples of urban nonpoint source pollution. Everyone can
help reduce this type of pollution very directly by changing
their practices and adopting what are referred to as “urban
best management practices.” Here’s what you can do to help
keep the lake and its tributaries clean:
• Don’t dump anything in storm drains and keep them clear
of debris.
• Don’t litter! Anything you throw in the street or on the
ground can end up in Onondaga Lake.
• Keep leaves, tree clippings and grass out of the street. In the
City, place yard waste between street and sidewalk for pick up.
• Dispose used motor oil properly. Service stations accept it for
recycling.
• Limit the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Dispose household hazardous wastes properly. Call 453-2870
Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA), for
information on community disposal days.
• Keep up to date on our progress! An informed public is the
best advocate for a clean lake.
• Use water wisely. Don’t waste clean water down the drain.
The Partnership is funding projects to help the City and
County reduce the amount of urban runoff pollution. Projects
include cleaning and repairing catch basins, funding the purchase of a new vacuum truck to pick up litter and debris from
city streets, purchasing leaf bags distributed in the City, and
publishing educational materials designed to teach students
how they can help.
TULLY MUDBOILS: A
UNIQUE POLLUTION SOURCE
As far back as 1899, people began noticing little holes in
the Tully Valley bringing up fine sands, clays and silts from
underground. The “mudboils,” as they became known, are
located about 15 miles upstream from where Onondaga Creek
enters Onondaga Lake.
Their origin is a hotly debated topic. They might be
naturally occurring, or a byproduct of industrial activity in
the region. Whatever their cause,
according to the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), the mudboils were dumping an average of
30 tons of sediment per day into
Onondaga Creek before 1992, most
of which found its way to Onondaga
Lake.
The resulting problem was that
sediments were reducing habitats for
aquatic insects, fish spawning and
plant growth in Onondaga Creek
A mudboil in Tully.
and contributing to the creek’s and Lake’s murky,
muddy appearance, especially at times of high runoff.
While this nonpoint source pollution may never
be fully prevented, the USGS—supported since 1992
by the OLP (formerly Onondaga Lake Management
Conference)—has undertaken a series of efforts that
have successfully reduced the daily sediment load
from 30 tons to about one-half ton. This dramatic
decrease was achieved through diversion structures,
pressure relief wells and construction of a sedimentation
dam. The result has been a clearer lake and creek and
a better environment for fish and macroinvertebrates.
The USGS now monitors the wells, and periodically
cleans the dam. There is no way to predict future
activity of the mudboils—although it is surmised that
they won’t go away. However, the efforts of the USGS
and the OLP to minimize the impact of the Tully
Mudboils on water quality have been a success.
Further information about urban and rural
nonpoint source pollution is
available on these websites:
• Onondaga Lake Partnership—
www.onlakepartners.org
• Onondaga County’s Lake
Improvement Project—
www.lake.onondaga.ny.us
• Onondaga County Soil and
Water Conservation District—
www.ocswcd.org
Leaf bags help keep leaves out of
sewers and reduce overflows.