Onondaga Lake NRDAR

In 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior and New York State, together the Trustees, settled a natural resource damage claim valued at over $26 million with Honeywell International Inc. and Onondaga County, New York, for the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site in Onondaga County, New York.  The 2018 Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Consent Decree outlines specific restoration projects currently underway and includes additional funding for Trustee sponsored natural resource restoration projects.  Community Working Group updates on restoration projects can be found in the PDF Portfolio: Onondaga NRDA Community Working Group PDF Portfolio.pdf, linked below.  Trustee solicitation and implementation of restoration projects is ongoing. 

Update: 3/22/2024 Notice of Availability– Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment Addendum for Onondaga Lake, in Syracuse, New York

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (collectively the Trustees) completed a Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) in 2017. The 2017 RP/EA informed the public of the types and scale of restoration actions that were planned to compensate for environmental contaminant-related injuries to natural resources under the Preferred Restoration Alternative. 

The addendum to the 2017 RP/EA informs the public of the status of restoration of injured natural resources and responds to public comments regarding project revisions under the Preferred Restoration Alternative. Project updates are provided for projects identified in the 2017 RP/EA and described in the 2018 Consent Decree (CD), as well as for projects proposed by the public and funded through the Future Project Fund. Fourteen of the projects selected under the Preferred Restoration Alternative in the 2017 RP/EA, and described in the 2018 CD, have been revised. The Trustees have and will continue to implement restoration projects under the Preferred Restoration Alternative established in the 2017 RP/EA. 

The RP/EA Addendum is available at Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment Addendum. Public comments timely received during the public comment period are available at Onondaga Lake RPEA Addendum Public Comments, and other documents are available at https://www.fws.gov/media/onondaga-lake-nrdar.

1/12/2024 Notice of Availability for Public Comment through 2/12/2024– Draft Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment Addendum for Onondaga Lake, in Syracuse, New York

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (collectively the Trustees) completed a Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) in 2017 in accordance with 43 Code of Federal Regulations §§ 11.82 and 11.93. The 2017 RP/EA informed the public of the types and scale of restoration actions that were planned to compensate for environmental contaminant-related injuries to natural resources under the Preferred Restoration Alternative established in the RP/EA. The addendum to the 2017 RP/EA informs the public of the status of restoration of injured natural resources and solicits comments from the public regarding project revisions under the Preferred Restoration Alternative. Project updates are provided for projects identified in the 2017 RP/EA and described in the 2018 Consent Decree (CD), as well as for projects proposed by the public and funded through the Future Project Fund. Fourteen of the projects selected under the Preferred Restoration Alternative in the 2017 RP/EA, and described in the 2018 CD, have been revised. The Trustees have and will continue to implement restoration projects under the Preferred Restoration Alternative established in the 2017 RP/EA. 

The RP/EA Addendum is available at Draft Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment Addendum and other documents are available at: https://www.fws.gov/media/onondaga-lake-nrdar.Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies may submit comments in one of the following ways: 

1.            Submit comments electronically to: FW5ES_NYFO@fws.gov

2.            Mail or hand deliver comments to: Amy Roe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, NY 13045

Please note: Depending on your browser and adobe settings, you may have to right-click pdf links and download/"save as" to your local PC - then navigate to that folder and open them, for them to display properly. You must also have a recent copy of Adobe (preferred) or another pdf reader installed. 

How to Submit a Funding Proposal to the Onondaga Lake Trustees

There is a two-step process to submit a funding proposal for natural resource restoration projects consistent with the 2017 Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration (NRDAR) Plan and Environmental Assessment and the 2018 Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Consent Decree (to access these files see the following PDF in the Portfolio attachment below: Onondaga NRDA Restoration Plan CD PDF Portfolio.pdf).

Step 1

Submit a completed Onondaga Lake NRDAR Project Concept Proposal to: Amy Roe at amy_roe@fws.gov and Jared Reed at jared.reed@dec.ny.gov Concept Proposals are accepted throughout the year. The Trustees will endeavor to make Concept Proposal decisions within 30 days from receipt of Concept Proposals.

• See the following PDF within the attachment below: Onondaga NRDAR Proposal Process PDF Portfolio: Onondaga_Lake_NRDAR_Project_Concept_Instructions_10-2020.pdf

Step 2

Applicants that receive Trustee approval of Onondaga Lake NRDAR Concept Proposals are eligible to submit a full Onondaga Lake NRDAR Proposal by the biannual deadlines of March 1 and September 1 of each Calendar Year: to Amy Roe at amy_roe@fws.gov and Jared Reed at jared.reed@dec.ny.gov. Funding decisions will be made by April 30 and October 31 of each Calendar Year.

• See the following PDF within the attachment below: Onondaga NRDAR Proposal Process PDF Portfolio: Onondaga_Lake_NRDAR_Proposal_ProjectNarrativeMapBudget_Instructions_10-2020.pdf