Onodaga Lake Pollution
Brion Neary
EWP 190
Professor Dawnelle A. Jager
Synthesis Paper
A Consequence for Actions Today’s society is one that demands easy solutions; however these solutions often come with long term problems which are often overlooked. Today many companies seem to think that it is acceptable to use the environment as an easy solution to the waste they create, but this can cause devastating problems to the environment. These ideas can be found in Joel K. Bourne Junior’s article “The Gulf of Oil” and Karsten Heuer’s “Being Caribou”. A local example of the problems that can be caused by pollution is Onondaga Lake, located just outside of Syracuse which many have called the most polluted lake in America. In order to understand why this happened one must take a look at the lake’s history, the actions of those that were utilizing it, and the results of using the environment as an easy solution. Onondaga Lake is a prime example of the effects pollution can have on an ecosystem. During the 19th century Onondaga Lake was a developing tourists spot including “Lavish resorts, beaches and amusement parks” (Conheady). Soon the Solvay Process Company came to Lake Onondaga due to its resources and an industrial boom soon came to the Syracuse area. Conditions of the Lake soon dwindled due to a two sided problem, on one side the companies found the lake as “an inexpensive way to get rid of industrial waste” (Conheady). The lake was right there and all the companies had to do was direct there waste in to the lake and it was off their mind. The other side of the pollution problem came from the areas waste system METRO, which “had always dumped its raw sewage into Onondaga Creek, which, in turn, ended up in the lake” (Conheady). This hadn’t been a problem in the past, but the exponential growth due to the industrial boom caused quantities larger than the lake could handle in such a short period. The lake soon was degrading however the companies didn’t care as they were prospering.
EWP 190
Professor Dawnelle A. Jager
Synthesis Paper
A Consequence for Actions Today’s society is one that demands easy solutions; however these solutions often come with long term problems which are often overlooked. Today many companies seem to think that it is acceptable to use the environment as an easy solution to the waste they create, but this can cause devastating problems to the environment. These ideas can be found in Joel K. Bourne Junior’s article “The Gulf of Oil” and Karsten Heuer’s “Being Caribou”. A local example of the problems that can be caused by pollution is Onondaga Lake, located just outside of Syracuse which many have called the most polluted lake in America. In order to understand why this happened one must take a look at the lake’s history, the actions of those that were utilizing it, and the results of using the environment as an easy solution. Onondaga Lake is a prime example of the effects pollution can have on an ecosystem. During the 19th century Onondaga Lake was a developing tourists spot including “Lavish resorts, beaches and amusement parks” (Conheady). Soon the Solvay Process Company came to Lake Onondaga due to its resources and an industrial boom soon came to the Syracuse area. Conditions of the Lake soon dwindled due to a two sided problem, on one side the companies found the lake as “an inexpensive way to get rid of industrial waste” (Conheady). The lake was right there and all the companies had to do was direct there waste in to the lake and it was off their mind. The other side of the pollution problem came from the areas waste system METRO, which “had always dumped its raw sewage into Onondaga Creek, which, in turn, ended up in the lake” (Conheady). This hadn’t been a problem in the past, but the exponential growth due to the industrial boom caused quantities larger than the lake could handle in such a short period. The lake soon was degrading however the companies didn’t care as they were prospering.
Cited: Bourne Jr., Joel. "The Gulf Of Oil: The Deep Dilemma."National Geographic: Green. 10 2010: 100-114. Print. Conheady, Matthew. "Onondaga Lake, Syracuse."nyfalls.com. NY Falls, 2011. Web. 27 Sep 2012. <http://www.nyfalls.com/lakes/onondaga.html Heuer, Karsten. Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2008. Print. Onondaga Lake Partnership. Onondaga Lake Partnership , 2007. Web. 30 Sep 2012. <http://www.onlakepartners.org/>. Chanatry, David. "America 's 'Most Polluted ' Lake Finally Comes Clean." NPR. 31 July 2012: n. page. Web. 30 Sep. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/2012/07/31/157413747/americas-most-polluted-lake-finally-comes-clean>. DEC, . "Onondaga Lake Cleanup." Department of Environmental Conservation NY. NYS DEC, 2012. Web. 30 Sep 2012. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8668.html>.