Onondaga Lake, New York: Legacy of Pollution
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Onondaga Lake, NY, has been described as the most polluted lake in the United States. This medium size (surface area of 12 km2 and mean depth of 10.9 m), rapidly flushed (average of 3.9 flushes/y), urban lake has received large quantities of domestic and industrial waste associated with development of the Syracuse area. Selected features of the history of development of the area, including municipal and industrial inputs to the lake, are reviewed. Presently about 20% of the inflow to die lake is municipal wastewater effluent Standards for dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, free ammonia, nitrite, clarity, and mercury concentration in fish flesh are violated routinely in the lake, a state guidance value for total phosphorus concentration is exceeded annually, and the lake's stratification/mixing regime and littoral zone have been impacted. Enforcement actions, now underway against die primary sources of municipal and industrial waste, are described. The design of die research program for die lake is reviewed, and the role subsequent articles in this issue play in developing a management strategy for remediation is described.
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Onondaga Lake in central New York received industrial and cultural pollution for well over a century, severely altering chemical, physical, and biological properties.
“Onondaga Lake in central New York received industrial and cultural pollution for well over a century, severely altering chemical, physical, and biological properties (Effler and Hennigan 1996).”
From Assessment of the Onondaga Lake, New York, fish community following reductions of nutrient inputs from a wastewater treatment plant (2015) · cites this paper as Effler and Hennigan 1996
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Cites
Density Stratification in Onondaga Lake: 1968–1994
Effler, S. W., & Owens, E. M. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353994 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationFailure of spring turnover in Onondaga Lake, NY, U.S.A.
Effler, S. W., & Perkins, M. G. (1987) · Water, Air, and Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/bf00193776 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
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Research works printed but not linked: 24
- Addess, J. M. and S. W. Effler. 1996. Summer methane fluxes and fall oxygen resources of Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):91-101.
- Auer, M. T., N. A. Johnson, M. R. Penn and S. W. Effler. 1995. Pollutant sources, depositional environment, and the surficial sediment of Onondaga Lake, New York. J. Environ. Qual. (in press).
- Auer, M. T., et al. 1996. Biology (Chapter 6). In S. W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Springer-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Canale, R. P., R. Gelda and S. W. Effler. 1996. Development and testing ofa nitrogen model for Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):151-164.
- Connors, S. D., M. T. Auer and S. W. Effler. 1996. Phosphorus pools, alkaline phosphatase activity, and phosphorus limitation in hypereutrophic Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):47-57.
- Doerr, S. M., R. P. Canale and S. W. Effler. 1996a. Development and testing of a total phosphorus model for Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):141-150.
- Doerr, S. M., S. W. Effler and E. M. Owens. 1996b. Forecasting impacts of a hypolimnetic wastewater discharge on lake water quality. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):207-217.
- Driscoll, C. T. and W. Wang. 1996. Mercury (in, Chemistry, Chapter 5). InS. W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental mangement of Onondaga Lake, New York. Springer-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Effler, S .W. (ed.). 1996. Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Springer-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Effler, S. W., C. M. Brooks and K A. Whitehead. 1996a. Domestic waste inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus to Onondaga Lake, and water quality implications. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):127140.
- Effler, S. W. and S. M. Doerr. 1996. Water quality model evaluations for scenarios of loading reductions and diversion of domestic waste effluentaround Onondaga Lake. Lakeand Reserv. Manage. 12(1):181-193.
- Effler,S. W. and E. M. Owens. 1996. Densitystratificationin Onondaga Lake: 1968-1994. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):25-33.
- Effler, S. W. and M. G. Perkins. 1996. An optics model for Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):115-125.
- Effler, S. W., M. G. Perkins, K. A. Whitehead and E. A. Romanowicz. 1996c. Ionic inputs to Onondaga Lake: origins, character, and changes. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):15-23.
- Effler, S. W. and K A. Whitehead. 1996. Tributaries and discharges (Chapter 3). InS. W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Springer-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Gelda, R. R. and M. T. Auer. 1996. Development and testing of a dissolved oxygen model for a hypereutrophic lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):165-179.
- Gelda, R. R., M. T. Auer, S. W. Effler, S. C. Chapra and M.L. Storey. 1996. Determination of reaeration coefficients: A whole lake approach. J. Environ. Engin. ASCE (in press).
- Madsen,J. D., L. W. Eichler,J. W. Sutherland, J. A. Bloomfield, R. M. Smart and C. W. Boylen. 1992. Submersed littoral vegetation distribution: Field quantification and experimental analysis of sedimenttypesfrom OnondagaLake, NewYork. Reportsubmitted to OnondagaLake Management Conference. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, Lewisville, TX. May 1992. 66 p.
- Madsen, J. D., J. A. Bloomfield, J. W. Sutherland, L. W. Eichler and C. W. Boylen. 1996. The aquatic macrophyte community of Onondaga Lake: field survey and plant growth bioassays of lake sediments. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):73-79.
- Owens, E. M. and S. W. Effler. 1996a. Hydrodynamics and Transport (Chapter 4). InS. W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Spring-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Owens, E. M. and S. W. Effler. 1996b. Modeling the impacts of a proposed hypolimnetic wastewater discharge on stratification and mixing in Onondaga Lake. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):195-206.
- Perkins, M. G. and S. W. Effler. 1996. Optical characteristics of Onondaga Lake: 1968-1990. Lake and Reserv. Manage. 12(1):103-113.
- Perkins, M. G. and E. A. Romanowicz. 1996. Hydrogeologic setting ofOnondaga Lake (Chapter 2). InS. W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Spring-Verlag, NY (in press).
- Ringler, N. A., C. Gandino, P. Hivethota, R. Danehy, P. Tango, C. Morgan, C. Millard, M. Murphy, R. J. Sloan, S. W. Effler and M. A. Arrigo. 1996. Fish communities and habitats in Onondaga Lake, adjoining portions of the Seneca River,and lake tributaries (in Biology, Chapter 6). In S.W. Effler (ed.). Limnological and engineering analysis of a polluted urban lake. Prelude to environmental management of Onondaga Lake, New York. Spring-Verlag, NY (in press).
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Matthews, D. A., Effler, S. W., Matthews, C. M. B., Siegfried, C. A., & Spada, M. E. (2001) · Water Environment Research · doi:10.2175/106143001x143439 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationDensity Stratification in Onondaga Lake: 1968–1994
Effler, S. W., & Owens, E. M. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353994 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationEffler, S. W., O'Donnell, S. M., Prestigiacomo, A. R., Matthews, D. A., & Auer, M. T. (2013) · Water Environment Research · doi:10.2175/106143012x13415215906690 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationMurphy, M. H., Gandino, C. J., Ringler, N. H., Kirby, L., Johnson, S., Smith, M., & Schroeder, S. (2015) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/10402381.2015.1093569 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Effler, S. W., & Hennigan, R. D.
- Affiliations
- Upstate Freshwater Institute (US)
- State University of New York (US)
- ORCID
- Effler, S. W.
- Venue
- Lake and Reservoir Management
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1996-03
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-12
- ISSN
- 0743-8141 (ISSN-L)
- 1040-2381
- 2151-5530
- OpenAlex
- W1969969700
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Lake and Reservoir Management (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Quality and Pollution Assessment
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Integrated Water Resources Management
- Keywords
- Onondaga Lake, lake pollution, urban lakes, municipal wastewater, industrial waste, water quality violations, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliforms, ammonia, nitrite, mercury in fish, total phosphorus, lake stratification, littoral zone, pollution sources, remediation, Syracuse
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