Retrospective Analyses of Inputs of Municipal Wastewater Effluent and Coupled Impacts on an Urban Lake
Abstract
A retrospective review and analysis are presented of the evolution of treatment, point of discharge considerations, and constituent loading from the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro), and the coupled water quality effects on the receiving urban lake (Onondaga Lake, New York) from the early 1970s to 2010. The analysis is based on long‐term monitoring of the discharge, Onondaga Lake, and a nearby river system considered as a potential alternate to receive the effluent. The Metro discharge is extraordinarily large relative to the lake's hydrologic budget, representing approximately 25% of the total inflow, greater than for any other lake in the United States. The large loads of nitrogen and phosphorus received from the facility resulted in severe water quality effects in the lake during the early portion of record, including (1) violations of standards to protect against toxic effects of ammonia and nitrite, (2) violations of the water clarity standard for swimming safety, (3) exceedances of a limit for the summer average concentration of total phosphorus in the upper waters, and (4) lakewide violations of the oxygen standard during fall turnover. The effects of Metro were compounded by effects of discharges from soda ash/chlor‐alkali and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. The sedimentary record of the lake indicates that even greater levels of cultural eutrophication prevailed before the monitoring commenced. Dramatic improvements in the water quality of the lake were achieved in recent years by implementing advanced treatment technologies. Exceedances of receiving water limits in the lake were eliminated, with the exception of the total phosphorus limit. A zebra mussel invasion compromised the oxygen resources and assimilative capacity of the nearby river for more than 15 years. This eliminated an option, previously supported by managers, of full diversion of the Metro effluent to the river.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Cites
Wastewater engineering : treatment and reuse
Metcalf, & Eddy (2004) · McGraw-Hill eBooks · Cited by 9,028 · see citing works
A trophic state index for lakes1
Carlson, R. E. (1977) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.1977.22.2.0361 · Cited by 4,324 · see citing works
REYNOLDS, C. S. (2006) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511542145 · Cited by 2,897 · see citing works
Surface water-quality modeling
Chapra, S. C. (1997) · Cited by 2,061 · see citing works
Principles of surface water quality modeling and control
Thomann, R. V., & Mueller, J. A. (1987) · Cited by 1,280 · see citing works
Benoit, J. M., Gilmour, C. C., Heyes, A., Mason, R. P., & Miller, C. L. (2002) · ACS Symposium Series · doi:10.1021/bk-2003-0835.ch019 · Cited by 535 · see citing works
Harris, G. P. (1986) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-009-4081-9 · Cited by 486 · see citing works
Toxicity of Nitrite to Fish: A Review
Lewis, W. M., & Morris, D. P. (1986) · Transactions of the American Fisheries Society · doi:10.1577/1548-8659(1986)115 · Cited by 438 · see citing works
DiToro, D. M. (2001) · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Benoit, J. M., Gilmour, C. C., & Mason, R. P. (2000) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es001415n · Cited by 304 · see citing works
Impact of the Zebra Mussel, a Bivalve Invader
Ludyanskiy, M. L., McDonald, D., & MacNeill, D. B. (1993) · BioScience · doi:10.2307/1311948 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Summer internal phosphorus supplies in Shagawa Lake, Minnesota
Larsen, D. P., Schults, D. W., & Malueg, K. W. (1981) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.1981.26.4.0740 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Limnological and Engineering Analysis of Polluted Urban Lake
(1996) · Springer Series on Environmental Management · doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2318-4 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Evidence for Regulation of Monomethyl Mercury by Nitrate in a Seasonally Stratified, Eutrophic Lake
Todorova, S. G., Driscoll, C. T., Matthews, D. A., et al. (2009) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es900887b · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Self-citationDelay in lake recovery caused by internal loading
Rossi, G., & Premazzi, G. (1991) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/0043-1354(91)90129-e · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Matthews, D. A., & Effler, S. W. (2006) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.2006.51.1_part_2.0702 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Self-citationPaleolimnology of Onondaga Lake: the History of Anthropogenic Impacts on Water Quality
Rowell, H. C. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353995 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Chloride model for polluted onondaga lake
Doerr, S. M. (1994) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/0043-1354(94)90091-4 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Effler, S. W., O'Donnell, S. M., Matthews, D. A., Matthews, C. M., O'Donnell, D. M., Auer, M. T., & Owens, E. M. (2002) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140209354140 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Self-citationOnondaga Lake, New York: Legacy of Pollution
Effler, S. W., & Hennigan, R. D. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353992 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Self-citationEffler, S. W., & Siegfried, C. A. (1994) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es00061a034 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationMatthews, D. A., & Effler, S. W. (2006) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140609353881 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Self-citationConnors, S. D., Auer, M. T., & Effler, S. W. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353996 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Self-citationMatthews, 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-citationImpacts of a Soda Ash Facility on Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River, NY
Effler, S. W., & Matthews, D. A. (2003) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140309353940 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationMatthews, D. A., Effler, S. W., Driscoll, C. T., O'Donnell, S. M., & Matthews, C. M. (2008) · Limnology and Oceanography · doi:10.4319/lo.2008.53.2.0743 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Role of Pollution and External Refugia in Structuring the Onondaga Lake Fish Community
Tango, P. J., & Ringler, N. H. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609353999 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Validation of Water-Quality Model for Seneca River, N.Y.
Canale, R. P., Owens, E. M., Auer, M., et al. (1995) · Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management · doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9496(1995)121:3(241 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationDevelopment and Testing of a Total Phosphorus Model for Onondaga Lake
Doerr, S. M., Canale, R. P., & Effler, S. W. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609354004 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationDISTRIBUTION OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN A POLLUTED SALINE LAKE, ONONDAGA LAKE, NEW YORK1,2,3
Sze, P., & Kingsbury, J. M. (1972) · Journal of Phycology · doi:10.1111/j.1529-8817.1972.tb03997.x · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Interannual variations in nitrification in a hypereutrophic urban lake: occurrences and implications
Gelda, R. K. (2000) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/s0043-1354(99)00265-1 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Effler, S. W., Matthews, D. A., Matthews, C. M., et al. (2004) · JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association · doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2004.tb04456.x · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationImplications of redox processes for the rehabilitation of an urban lake, Onondaga Lake, New York
Effler, S. W., & Matthews, D. A. (2008) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140809354056 · Cited by 26 · cited 6× · see citing works
“This improvement eliminated the need for installing a hypolimnetic aeration or oxygenation unit that had been part of the overall rehabilitation plan for domestic wastewater stipulated by regulators that targeted elimination of the violations during fall turnover (Effler and Matthews, 2008).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationPatterns and modeling of the long-term optics record of Onondaga Lake, New York
Effler, S. W., Gelda, R. K., Perkins, M., et al. (2008) · Fundamental and Applied Limnology / Archiv für Hydrobiologie · doi:10.1127/1863-9135/2008/0172-0217 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationA long-term record of epilimnetic phosphorus patterns in recovering Onondaga Lake, New York
Effler, S. W. O. (2010) · Fundamental and Applied Limnology · doi:10.1127/1863-9135/2010/0177-0001 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationEffler, A. J. P., Gelda, R. K., Effler, S. W., et al. (2008) · Fundamental and Applied Limnology / Archiv für Hydrobiologie · doi:10.1127/1863-9135/2008/0172-0239 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationOwens, E. M., & Effler, S. W. (1996) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438149609354008 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Self-citationChemical stratification in the Seneca/Oswego rivers (NY)
Effler, S. W., McCarthy, J. M., Simpson, K. W., et al. (1984) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/bf00163634 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Self-citationSTRUCTURE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
WETZEL, R. G. (2001) · Limnology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-057439-4.50012-5 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
The density of inflows to Onondaga Lake, U.S.A., 1980 and 1981
Effler, S. W., & Owens, E. M. (1986) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/bf00184073 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationNitrite and the Two Stages of Nitrification in Nitrogen Polluted Onondaga Lake, New York
Gelda, R. K., Effler, S. W., & Brooks, C. M. (1999) · Journal of Environmental Quality · doi:10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800050016x · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationSPATIAL VARIABILITY IN SELECTED PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PROCESSES IN CROSS LAKE, NEW YORK1
Effler, S. W., & Carter, C. F. (1987) · JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association · doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.1987.tb00803.x · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Effect of Municipal Wastewater Effluent on Nitrogen Levels in Onondaga Lake, a 36‐Year Record
Effler, S. W., O’Donnell, S. M., Prestigiacomo, A. R., O’Donnell, D. M., Gelda, R. K., & Matthews, D. A. (2009) · Water Environment Research · doi:10.2175/106143009x407384 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationPartitioning phosphorus concentrations and loads in tributaries of a recovering urban lake
Effler, S. W., Prestigiacomo, A. R., Matthews, D. A., et al. (2009) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140903032416 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationVariations in the Stratification Regime of Onondaga Lake: Patterns, Modeling, and Implications
O’Donnell, S. M., O’Donnell, D. M., Owens, E. M., et al. (2010) · Fundamental and Applied Limnology / Archiv für Hydrobiologie · doi:10.1127/1863-9135/2010/0176-0011 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationDenkenberger, J. S., Driscoll, C. T., Effler, S. W., O’Donnell, D. M., & Matthews, D. A. (2007) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140709353906 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationEffect of Restricted Use of Phosphate-Based Detergents on Onondaga Lake
Murphy, C. (1973) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.182.4110.379 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Accessing Assimilative Capacity through a Dual Discharge Approach
Rucinski, D. K., Auer, M., Watkins, D., et al. (2007) · Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management · doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9496(2007)133:6(474 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationChanges in Primary Production in Onondaga Lake, NY: Magnitude, Metrics, and Drivers
Effler, S. W., Gelda, R. K., Field, S. E., Effler, A. J. P., Wallenberg, E. B., & Matthews, D. A. (2005) · Lake and Reservoir Management · doi:10.1080/07438140509354412 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Self-citationEffect if reduced salinity input on river stratification and dissolved oxygen
Effler, S. W., Doerr, S. M., & Owens, E. M. (1997) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/bf02406155 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationImplications of Industrial Loads for Ammonia Pollution in an Urban Lake
Effler, S. W., Gelda, R. K., & Matthews, C. M. (. (2001) · Water Environment Research · doi:10.2175/106143001x138859 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citationPrestigiacomo, A. R., Effler, S. W., Matthews, D. A., & Coletti, L. J. (2009) · Water Environment Research · doi:10.2175/106143008x357156 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citationWater quality patterns in a river-lake system from multiple drivers (Three Rivers, New York State)
Effler, S. W., Prestigiacomo, A. R., Effler, A. J. P., et al. (2010) · River Systems · doi:10.1127/1868-5749/2010/019-0075 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationRucinski, D. K., Watkins, D., Auer, M., et al. (2009) · Journal of Environmental Engineering · doi:10.1061/(asce)ee.1943-7870.0000209 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 22
- Bloom N. W., 1990, Seasonal Variability in the Hg Speciation of Onondaga Lake, N.Y, Water Air Soil Pollut., 53, 251
- Dolan D., 2010, personal communicationDolan, David M. Associate Professor of Mathematics
- Ewing T., 2004, Drinking Water Reservoir Management: Real‐Time Decision Support, LakeLine, 24, 21
- Gelda R. K., 2002, A River Water Quality Model for Chlorophyll and DO That Accommodates Zebra Mussel Metabolism, Water Qual. Ecosys. Model., 1, 271
- Hennigan R. D., 1990, America's Dirtiest Lake, Clearwaters, 19, 8
- Hipsey M. R., 2004, Decision Support Tools: Managing Microbial Pollution in Lakes and Reservoirs, LakeLine, 24, 25
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), 1998, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1998, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2004, Onondaga Lake Bottom Subsite of the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site, Syracuse, New York
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2005, Record of Decision: Onondaga Lake Bottom Subsite of the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site, Towns of Geddes and Salina, Villages of Solvay and Liverpool, and City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York
- Onondaga County., 1971, Onondaga Lake Monitoring Program Annual Report 1971
- Onondaga Lake Restoration Act of, 1989, Committee on Environmental and Public Works; U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Water Resources, Transportation; Infrastructure
- Onondaga County., 1994, Onondaga Lake Monitoring Program Annual Report 1994
- Penn M. R., 1994, Ph.D. Thesis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Syracuse University Research Corporation., 1966, Onondaga Lake Survey, 1964–1965
- Tomasoski K. A., 1997, M.S. ThesisDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), 1973, Report of Hg Sources Investigation Onondaga Lake, New York and Allied Chemical Corporation, Solvay, New York. National Field Investigations Center Cincinnati, OH and Region II, New York, NY
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1974, Environmental Impact Statement on Wastewater Treatment Facilities Construction Grants for the Onondaga Lake Drainage Basin, Region II, New York, NY
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1985, Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Ammonia ‐. 1984 EPA‐440/5‐85‐001
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1991, Guidance for Water Quality‐Based Decisions: The TMDL Process. EPA 440‐4‐91‐001
- Welch E. B., 1986, Declining Lake Sediment P Release and Oxygen Deficit Following Wastewater Diversion, J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 58, 92
- Wickman T. R., 1996, M.S. ThesisDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Rowell, H. C., Enache, M. D., Quinlan, R., Smith, A. J., Bloomfield, J. A., Charles, D. F., & Effler, S. W. (2016) · Journal of Paleolimnology · doi:10.1007/s10933-015-9877-8 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Effler, S. W., O'Donnell, S. M., Prestigiacomo, A. R., Matthews, D. A., & Auer, M. T.
- Affiliations
- Upstate Freshwater Institute (US)
- Michigan Technological University (US)
- Venue
- Water Environment Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2013-01
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 13-26
- ISSN
- 0043-1303 (ISSN-L)
- 1061-4303
- 1554-7531
- OpenAlex
- W2415071630
- Semantic Scholar
- 98713139101b83e81b61a8939b066010e72b2648
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 2.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Water Environment Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - Michigan Tech (Michigan Technological University) (submittedVersion)
- 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 › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Keywords
- municipal wastewater effluent, Onondaga Lake, nitrogen loading, phosphorus loading, eutrophication, water quality standards, zebra mussel invasion, sedimentary record, advanced wastewater treatment, urban lake water quality
- MeSH terms
- Retrospective Studies, Urbanization, Lakes, Water Quality, Wastewater
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
