Onondaga Lake

Onondaga Lake is a lake located in central New York, in the United States. It is located near the city of Syracuse and is the second-largest lake in the state. The lake has a surface area of approximately 4.6 square miles (12 square kilometers) and a maximum depth of approximately 63 feet (19 meters). Historically, Onondaga Lake was a sacred site for the Onondaga Nation, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy). The lake was a source of drinking water, fishing, and hunting for the Onondaga people for many centuries. However, over the past century, the lake has been heavily polluted by industrial activities, municipal sewage, and other sources of contamination. The lake has been designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to high levels of mercury, PCBs, and other toxic substances in the water and sediment. Many efforts have been made to clean up Onondaga Lake in recent years, including the construction of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant, the removal of mercury-contaminated sediment, and the creation of wetlands and other habitat restoration projects. Despite these efforts, the lake remains closed to swimming and other recreational activities due to persistent water quality issues.