Habitat Plan 2 - Onondaga Lake Partnership

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DRAFTBelted kingfisher and other birds nestin the riparian zone.upland areas in Liverpool and Lakeland are mainly residential, withinterspersed urban structures and several undeveloped areas. Much ofthe western and southern lakeshore is covered by wastebeds thatreceived wastes generated from Honeywell’s predecessor Allied Signal,Solvay operations. These wastebeds contain a mix of wetland andterrestrial plant communities typical of disturbed areas. Urban centersand industrial zones in Syracuse and Solvay dominate the landscapesurrounding the southern and eastern shores of Onondaga Lake fromapproximately the NYS Fairgrounds south to Ley Creek.As part of the wetlands and floodplain assessment (O’Brien & Gere andParsons, 2009), a boat reconnaissance of the Onondaga Lake shorelinewas performed to evaluate the presence of other potential wetlandareas. The physical characteristics of portions of the lake shoreline,excluding the assessed wetlands described in Section 2.3.3, are broadlydescribed as follows:• Gravel and cobble shoreline that may include areas dominatedby drift deposits including garbage and dead vegetative matter.This habitat type is predominant through much of the lakeshore.• Solvay waste shoreline (e.g., primarily Remediation Areas D(SMU 1), C (SMU 2), B (SMU 3), and the southern portion ofRemediation Area A (SMU 4).• Human-made, concrete causeway (Remediation Area C [SMU2]) which is no longer at the shoreline due to the Willis IRMbarrier wall discussed in Section 3.2.3.• Armored (rip-rap lined) shoreline (e.g., portions of RemediationArea F [SMU 5] at Onondaga Lake Park).Based on the field investigations performed for the wetlands/floodplainassessment for Onondaga Lake (O’Brien & Gere and Parsons, 2004),the natural shoreline areas that were not identified as wetlands would beconsidered lacustrine, littoral, unconsolidated bottom (L2UB) habitat.Some of these shoreline areas, particularly along the eastern shorelinewest of Ley Creek and north of Onondaga Creek, contained nonpersistentemergent vegetation that was predominantly rooted in asubstrate of sand, gravel, Solvay waste, or organic drift material(predominantly vegetative stems and detritus).Floodplains were mapped by the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) throughout most of the Onondaga County watershed inthe 1970s and 1980s. According to the FEMA data, floodplains arecurrently most extensive in the area around Onondaga Lake. There aresignificant areas of 100-year floodplain around the northern reaches ofNinemile Creek and the southern reaches of Onondaga Creek. Thehighest, or near highest, stream flows and lake levels on record for thearea occurred in June/July 1972 in response to a storm event stemmingfrom Hurricane Agnes. The maximum lake elevation recorded that yearfrom the USGS site is 369.14 feet (NAVD 88). The current 100-yearfloodplain elevation for the Onondaga Lake area is 370 feet (NAVD 88).Presently, there are no virgin forests near Onondaga Lake or in theremainder of Onondaga County (Harding, 1973). Historical clearing ofPARSONS | Remedial Design Elements for Habitat Restoration 53
DRAFTWhite oak foliageforested areas for various land use purposes caused fragmentation ofnatural communities and loss of biodiversity. Invasive species includingPhragmites and purple loosestrife have become some of the mostdominant species on the moist disturbed sites along the southern andwestern edges of the lake and in shallow waters of wetlands (McMullen,1993). Other common species now present near the lake include theeastern cottonwood, red maple, white oak, white ash (Fraxinusamericana), and the American elm (Vandruff and Pike, 1992).As listed in the Lake BERA (TAMS, 2002b), three state and/or federallisted rare, threatened, or endangered plant species exist within 2 miles(3.2 km) of Onondaga Lake. These are Sartwell’s sedge (Carexsartewelli), little-leaf tick-trefoil (Desmodium ciliare), and red pigweed(Chenopodium rubrum). All three plant species are known only fromhistorical records. They have not been sighted in the Onondaga Lakearea recently, but may be rediscovered. The general locations of listedplants near Onondaga Lake are shown in the Onondaga Lake BERA(TAMS, 2002b).One of the submerged aquatic species noted during the recent surveyswas slender naiad (Najas guadalupensis). Two rare natural plantcommunities have been recorded adjacent to the Onondaga Lakeshoreline within 2 miles of the site. These communities are the InlandSalt Marsh and the Inland Salt Pond located southeast of Liverpoolalong the northern shore of Onondaga Lake. The NYNHP did notprovide the exact locations of identified resources; however, theirgeneral location is presented in the Willis Avenue BERA (O’Brien &Gere, 2004c). Plant and animal endangered, threatened, and rarespecies as well as rare natural communities are discussed in greaterdetail in Section 2.4.8. Other endangered plants previously reported inand around the lake are also discussed in Section 2.4.8.2.3.5 TributariesOnondaga Lake receives surface runoff from a drainage basin ofapproximately 285 square miles (Figure 2.5). Surface water flowsprimarily from the south and southeast into the lake through six naturaltributaries; Ninemile Creek, Onondaga Creek, Harbor Brook, Ley Creek,Bloody Brook, and Sawmill Creek. Two engineered tributaries also flowinto the lake; the East Flume and Tributary 5A, which are both currentlyin the remedial design stage. Ninemile Creek and Onondaga Creek arethe two largest tributaries to Onondaga Lake. Each of the tributaries isdescribed below. In addition to the tributaries, the treated effluent fromMetro, located between Onondaga Creek and Harbor Brook, provides asignificant portion of the water entering the lake.The outlet of Onondaga Lake flows north to the Seneca River, whichthen combines flow with the Oneida River to form the Oswego River,and ultimately discharges into Lake Ontario approximately 40 milesnorth of the lake outlet. Water also enters the lake through intermittentbi-directional flow from the Seneca River at the outlet of the lake (Efflerand Whitehead, 1996). Analyses to date indicate that inflow from theSeneca River varies significantly seasonally and from year to year, butthat it can be a substantial portion of the total inflow (Effler et al., 2002).PARSONS | Remedial Design Elements for Habitat Restoration 54
Page 1 and 2: DRAFTA great blue heron preys on am
Page 3 and 4: DRAFTTransient cold waterfish, such
Page 5 and 6: DRAFTthe construction of the Willis
Page 7 and 8: DRAFTIndustrial discharges resultin
Page 9 and 10: DRAFTOnondaga Lake Parkway is a pop
Page 11 and 12: DRAFTfacilities remove floating deb
Page 13 and 14: DRAFT(NAVD 1988). NAVD 1988 is the
Page 15 and 16: DRAFTwaste in Remediation Area B an
Page 17 and 18: DRAFTLake sturgeon currently exist
Page 19 and 20: DRAFT1978, USFWS, 2009). The water
Page 21 and 22: DRAFTLey Creek and adjacent Wetland
Page 23 and 24: DRAFTSYW-10 is forested wetland loc
Page 25: DRAFTWastebeds 1-8 site located adj
Page 29 and 30: DRAFTinvestigation in 1998 and 2000
Page 31 and 32: DRAFTHarbor Brook flows into Ononda
Page 33 and 34: DRAFTTributary 5A flows into Ononda
Page 35 and 36: DRAFTof flower parts precluded defi
Page 37 and 38: DRAFTMonitoring Data Assessment Rep
Page 39 and 40: DRAFTSmallmouth Bass is a popular g
Page 41 and 42: DRAFTRed-winged blackbirds live on
Page 43 and 44: DRAFTas beaver (Castor canandensis)
Page 45 and 46: DRAFTBald eagles have become common
Page 47 and 48: ONONDAGA LAKEREMEDIAL DESIGN ELEMEN
Page 49 and 50: HoneywellTABLE 2.2ONONDAGA LAKE ELE
Page 51 and 52: Original Shoreline of Onondaga Lake
Page 53 and 54: PUBFxPSS1A PSS1APFO1APFO1EPFO1ER2UB
Page 56: Remediation Area FLiverpoolMarinaSM

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