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Latest water quality information
Onondaga Lake: Phosphorus White Paper, April 2011
Onondaga Lake: Progress Report 2010, issued July 2011
Onondaga Lake is on the road to recovery.
Multiple efforts are underway to restore Onondaga Lake, and the lake is responding
with greatly improved water quality and habitat conditions. These
efforts include major improvements to the wastewater collection and treatment
system, reductions in stormwater runoff and remediation of industrial
wastes. Nutrient concentrations are in steep decline, algal blooms have essentially
disappeared, and oxygen levels are greatly improved. Interest in the
lake as a recreational resource has surged.
Real progress is being made in Onondaga Lake. The water
is clearer, there is less algae, and water quality conditions
support a thriving warm water aquatic community.
Phosphorus, water clarity and algal abundance are now
comparable to other regional lakes such as Oneida Lake
and the smaller Finger Lakes Otisco and Owasco.
Onondaga Lake is a recreational asset to the entire
community. The County’s monitoring program will
continue to evaluate Onondaga Lake’s response to
wastewater improvements, and reductions in stormwater
runoff and industrial pollution.
2009 Annual Report: Onondaga Lake Ambient Monitoring Program (issued Nov 2010)
2009 Annual Report Library
DOWNLOAD 2009 ANNUAL REPORT FILES (40.7 MB, compressed file)
 Comments on this report are encouraged and may be directed to Jeanne Powers. Click here to email, or phone 315-435-2260.
What do the latest data show?
The 2009 results document the significant improvements realized by improved
treatment at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro),
continued progress toward abatement of combined sewer overflows (CSOs),
and reductions in non-point source pollution from the watershed’s urban and
agricultural areas. Onondaga Lake continues to exhibit the dramatic improvements
we first described in 2008. Phosphorus and ammonia concentrations are
reduced, dissolved oxygen levels continue to rise, and water clarity has improved
with the decline in algal abundance. Clearer water improves light penetration,
allowing expansion of aquatic plants and improving habitat conditions
for gamefish such as bass.
Improvements in Wastewater Treatment
Improvements at Metro have reduced phosphorus discharges
to the lake from the treatment plant by more
than 80%. Since the advanced treatment system was
completed in 2005, loading has been less than 100 lbs
per day.
Onondaga County has completed major
upgrades at the Metro plant that reduced the amount of ammonia‐N discharged to the lake from the treatment plant by 98%.
During 2009, the County continued work on separating sewers, planning for new approaches to reduce CSOs, capturing
floatable materials and maximizing system storage capacity. Onondaga County facilities and other urban areas began to implement
green infrastructure solutions to help manage urban storm runoff. Green infrastructure encourages infiltration, capture and reuse of
storm runoff before it enters the sewer system. By preventing storm water runoff from entering the combined sewers, more capacity is
available for sanitary sewage flow to reach Metro for treatment. A “Save the Rain” initiative is underway to educate watershed
residents about ways to capture and use rain water.
Water Quality Monitoring Results
Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for algal growth. Too much phosphorus causes excessive algae, which
make the water appear green and cloudy, and contributes to low oxygen levels. The summer of 2009 marked the second consecutive
year that the total phosphorus concentration in Onondaga Lake complied with New York State’s guidance value of 20 parts per billion
(ppb). The state selected 20 ppb based on user perception survey data indicating whether lakes are attractive for recreational use.
Onondaga Lake now meets the state’s guidance value for phosphorus in lakes, and is consequently considered suitable for recreation.
With the recent improvements to the Metro plant, runoff
from the watershed contributes the majority of phosphorus
to Onondaga Lake. Prior to 2005, Metro contributed
approximately 60% of the annual phosphorus load. The
total phosphorus load to the lake has declined substantially;
for the period 1990‐2004, phosphorus loading averaged
88 metric tons per year; in 2009, less than half
that amount (38 metric tons) entered the lake.
Less phosphorus in the lake has resulted in fewer and less
severe algal blooms. No algal blooms have been measured
in Onondaga Lake in the past two summers. Less
algae also means clearer water and more oxygen for
aquatic life.
Reductions in phosphorus discharges from the Metro plant
have resulted in substantially lower phosphorus concentrations
in the lake water in recent years, down to 17 ppb
in 2009, below the levels measured in Oneida Lake.
Dissolved oxygen
Until recently, low dissolved oxygen (DO) in October was
one of the most significant water quality impairments in
Onondaga Lake. Recent improvements in DO mean better
habitat for aquatic life. The NYSDEC minimum standard
for DO is 4 ppm.
Ammonia nitrogen
High concentrations of ammonia can be harmful to sensitive aquatic life, such as young fish. Onondaga County has completed major
upgrades at the Metro plant that reduced the amount of ammonia‐N discharged to the lake from the treatment plant by 98%. An
advanced treatment system came on‐line in 2004; as a result, ammonia‐N concentrations in the lake have declined and meet state
standards developed for protection of aquatic life.
Bacteria
The fecal coliform bacteria
standard of 200 cells per 100 ml of lake water, calculated
as a geometric average of at least five samples per month, is
used by DEC to evaluate water quality and by DOH to evaluate
suitability for swimming at designated beaches.
As in previous years, the 2009 data confirm that bacteria levels
increased following significant storm events. This effect
was limited to the southeastern portion of the lake shoreline,
adjacent to Harbor Brook and Onondaga Creek.
Biological Monitoring Results
Aquatic plants provide vital spawning and nursery habitat for lake fish, as well as food and cover to a variety of other aquatic animals.
The shallow areas of the lake are increasingly covered with aquatic plants as water quality improves, and a thriving warmwater fish
community is one positive result. A nearly four‐fold increase in plant cover was documented from 2000 to 2009.
Fish
Onondaga Lake supports a diverse warm‐water fish community;
there are many species present, and game species such as bass are increasingly abundant. This is a result of improved habitat and better water quality.
About the monitoring program
Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection (OCDWEP) conducts an annual program to evaluate the water quality conditions of Onondaga Lake, the lake tributaries, and a portion of the Seneca River. This program is one element of the Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) signed in 1998, which requires Onondaga County to complete the analysis, design, and construction of improvements to the wastewater collection and treatment system. In addition, reductions in the non-point sources of nutrients and sediment, such as urban stormwater and runoff from agricultural areas, are required. The Ambient Monitoring Program (AMP) is in place to measure the effectiveness of these reductions in pollutant inputs in bringing about better water quality conditions in Onondaga Lake and adjacent waters.
The AMP is designed to identify sources of materials (nutrients, sediment, bacteria, and chemicals) to the lake, evaluate in-lake water quality conditions, and examine the interactions between Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River. Compliance with water quality standards and trend analysis are two central elements. In addition to the water quality monitoring effort, the AMP examines the health of the entire lake ecosystem by sampling fish, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, aquatic plants, and zebra mussels.
A rigorous Quality Assurance/Quality Control program is in place. The annual AMP workplan is subject to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) review and approval each year. Samples are collected by trained technicians and analyzed in a state-certified laboratory. Internal and external audits are conducted, blanks and duplicates are evaluated, and the results are presented in the annual AMP report. Technical experts serving on the Onondaga Lake Technical Advisory Committee review the data and interpretive reports and make recommendations.
Technological advances allow the County to monitor water quality on a near-real-time basis. A water quality buoy with an array of probes that measure physical and chemical characteristics of the lake water is deployed on the lake at its deepest point. Data from the buoy provide a window into the temporal changes in lake water quality. At the lake’s outlet, acoustic Doppler devices installed by the U.S. Geological Survey provide data needed to understand water exchange between the lake and the Seneca River.
Each year, OCDWEP tests over 20,000 water samples and examines several thousand biological samples. The County has invested in creation of custom databases to facilitate analysis and reporting tasks. The 2007 water quality data were appended to the water quality database, which is a repository of tributary and lake data since 1968. In early 2008, the County and its consultants completed the integrated biological database which compiles results of the AMP fisheries, phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrate, and zebra mussel monitoring efforts.
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