If you're driving along Interstate 690 West, you may see a new addition to the landscape. Rows of manmade mounds line the shore of Onondaga Lake.
As Honeywell International moves into its third stage of the Onondaga Lake cleanup project, construction workers are building a barrier wall to keep contaminated ground water out of the lake. In order to make this wall, they have had to remove soil and transport it to the shore. The result is a line of large, brown mounds.
To make these mounds more aesthetic, construction workers have sprayed them with hydroseed, a mixture of seed and fertilizer.
The Syracuse region of the Department of Environmental Conservation says some people have been wondering whether these mounds have dangerous chemicals. Syracuse Regional Director of Environmental Conservation Ken Lynch says the mounds are safe.
"Prior to any work starting, we required Honeywell to establish an air monitoring program," he said. "None of that monitoring has indicated any levels of concern as far as public health goes."
Lynch says with spring underway, it shouldn't be long before vegetation will begin sprouting on top of the mounds and give drivers something a little brighter to look at.
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