Onondaga Lake at Risk from Auto Metal Shredder

Adjacent to Onondaga Lake, Roth Steel Corp. runs a metal shredding business, specializing in automobiles.

The DEC had charged Roth with improperly disposing of solid waste and hazardous substances, failing to control stormwater runoff from the facility, failing to prevent petroleum discharges and other violations.

Along with the penalty, the settlement orders Roth to investigate two landfill cells that hold a material called "shredder fluff" to determine whether any contaminants are leaching into the lake.

The shredder fluff, used in car interiors and upholstery, contained PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, a suspected carcinogen, as well as numerous other contaminants.

DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said it is important that the agreement order signed by Roth on Friday allows his agency to deal with compliance issues in a variety of regulated areas - air, water, solid waste - in one consent order.

"DEC is committed to its mission of safeguarding New York's natural resources,'' Grannis said. "This settlement does just that, tackling a variety of violations and helping protect Onondaga Lake."

The settlement calls for a strict compliance schedule. The company must investigate the shredder fluff cells and, if there are leaks of contaminants from the cells, remove and properly dispose of the material.

The company must also submit a plan by the end of January to investigate and remediate any automobile fluid discharges, and develop and implement plans for dealing with stormwater and air emissions issues.

Pollution on Onondaga Lake at Syracuse, New York (Photo courtesy City Data Forum)

Covering 4.6 square miles in upstate New York, Lake Onondaga is one of the most polluted lakes in the United States, according to the Onondaga Lake Partnership, a nonprofit group that works for restoration of the lake.

The lake has a number of domestic and industrial pollution problems relating to population growth and industrialization in Syracuse over the last century.

Approximately seven million cubic yards of Onondaga Lake sediments are contaminated with mercury, and mercury has been measured in the flesh of lake fish at levels that exceed federal food standards. These sediments are so tainted that they are listed as hazardous waste on the National Superfund List.

Allied-Signal, Inc., a Honeywell company, is completing a series of mercury studies under the direction of the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Law to identify the major sources of mercury to the lake system and recommend ways to eliminate contamination of the fish.

Other toxic substances such as PCBs and chlorinated benzenes have also been detected in the lake ecosystem.

Combined sewer overflows are the main source of bacteria to Onondaga Lake. They cause the lake to violate bacteria standards after heavy rainfalls, and public health standards for levels of indicator bacteria are routinely violated throughout the southern half of Onondaga Lake following storm events. Violations occur on about 54 days in the average summer and prevent the lake from being used for swimming.

Onondaga Lake is not damaged to a point beyond repair, the Partnership says, adding "Significant progress has been made in reducing pollution inputs, and water quality has improved significantly since the 1970s, when restoration efforts began."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.