APPENDIXES APPENDIX 1-STATEMENTS OF THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION STATEMENT ON WATER POLLUTION IN THE LAKE ONTARIO BASIN (By U.S. Department of the Interior, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, Great Lakes-Illinois River basins project, Great Lakes region, Chicago, Ill., July 1966) CONTENTS Geography. TABLES Table 3-1.-Drainage areas-Major tributaries of Lake Ontario. Table 3-3.-Populations of major subbasins. Table 3-4.-Population projections-Lake Ontario study area. Table 4-1.-Summary of municipal water supply in the Lake Ontario Basin. Table 4-2.-Major sources of municipal and industrial water in the Lake Ontario basin. Table 5-1.-Summary of municipal waste discharges to surface waters. Table 5-2.-Major industrial discharges direct to surface waters of the Lake Ontario Basin. Table 5-3.-Federal installations discharging direct to surface waters of the Lake Ontario Basin. Table 6-1.-Seasonal and geographical distribution of dissolved oxygen in Lake Ontario. Table 6-2.-Chemical results-Lake Ontario cruise 102-spring. Table 6-3. Chemical results-Lake Ontario cruise 103-summer. Table 6-4.-Chemical results-Lake Ontario cruise 104-fall. Table 7-1.-Rochester area beaches. Table 7-2.—Average nitrogen, phosphate concentrations in the Finger Lakes. FIGURES Figure 3-1.-Lake Ontario program area. Figure 5-1.-Municipal waste treatment. Figure 6-1.-Lake Ontario extended range stations. Figure 8-1.-Temperature profiles of Lake Ontario. Figure 8-2.-Spring thermal bar. Figure 8-3.-Net flow directions August-October 1964 in Lake Ontario. Figure 8-5.-Rochester embayment and locations of current-metering stations. General SUMMARY Problems related to water pollution have been identified in Lake Ontario and most of its tributary streams. Some of these waters, particularly Lake Ontario, are experiencing the effects of overfertilization which promotes massive growths of algae. These growths, sometimes called blooms, seriously impair many important water uses and cause objectionable nuisance conditions that often exceed the tolerance levels of even the most insensitive persons. Other waters are seriously degraded, adversely affecting desirable beneficial uses. Water supplies, swimming, boating, fishing, and esthetic enjoyment are among the uses impaired by this degradation. Except for certain streams in the hinterland areas of the watershed where man's activities are minimal, there is evidence of pollution effects practically everywhere in the water environment. While some of the effects are minor impairments today, they are the harbingers of of more serious conditions that are sure to develop as a result of population and economic growth in the years ahead if effective measures are not taken at the right time in the necessary places. Sources of pollution Municipal waste treatment plants in the program area serve an estimated present population of 1,544,000. These plants receive additional waste loads from industries, a total population equivalent (PE) of about 2,350,000 (in terms of oxygen consuming capacity). Of the combined untreated waste PE of 3,894,000 received by the plants, an estimated PE of 2,299,000 is discharged to the receiving waters. This represents an overall average removal efficiency of about 41 percent, which is considerably less than removals of 90 percent or more attainable with secondary plants. Approximately 300 industries discharge varying amounts of oxygen demanding wastes directly to receiving waters. In most cases little or no treatment is provided. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the wastes discharged by 52 of these industries is estimated to be 423,000 pounds per day, which is about 96 percent of the BOD from the 300 industries. Other significant waste sources are overflows from combined sewer systems, runoff from urban and rural areas, and wastes from commercial and private vessels. In addition to the organic oxygen demanding wastes other problem contami nants discharged to the environment include the algae nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, phenols, toxic materials, oil and grease, acids, alkalies, and bacteria. Major problems Certain water bodies and sectors are experiencing problems of unusual magnitude and complexity. The technical measures and remedial actions necessary to achieve satisfactory quality will involve najor improvements requiring large expenditures. The most severe problem conditions are summarized in the paragraphs following. Lake Ontario Present nutrient levels now support prolific algal growths which cause severe impairment to water supplies and obnoxious conditions in swimming and shoreline residential areas. The remedy that appears most feasible at this time is reducing the input of phosphorus to the lake. Eastern Lake Erie-Niagara River Gross industrial pollution in the Buffalo River and municipal and industrial pollution along the U.S. shoreline of the Niagara River are described in the Federal technical report prepared for the Federal Enforcement Conference on Lake Erie. The unanimous recommendations of the conferees specify improved treatment and other measures to correct the situation. These recommendations were subsequently adopted by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Rochester area The discharge of large volumes of poorly treated wastes into the Rochester embayment constitutes a continuing hazard to swimming and other recreational use of the waters. Contravention of the present State classification is an established fact. The lower 3 miles of the Genesee River are depleted of oxygen during the summer months, primarily due to the organic load in the effluent from Eastman Kodak Co.'s waste treatment plant. This industry has conducted extensive research to determine a feasible method of providing additional treatment. These studies are now completed and agreement has been made with the State of New York to have secondary facilities in operation by 1970. Contributing to the problem is the organic load discharged during periods of overflow by the combined sewers of the city of Rochester. Syracuse area On Onondaga Lake, situated on the north side of Syracuse, receives the effluent from municipal treatment plants serving the Metropolitan Syracuse area. the west side the Allied Chemical Co.'s Solvay division discharges a variety of wastes to the lake. This lake is considered to be the most grossly polluted body of water in the program area. Overflows from combined sewers of the city of Syracuse are known to contribute significantly to the problems. Huge volumes of sludge, both mineral and organic, have been found. Recent actions by officials of Onondaga County, the city of Syracuse, and Syracuse area industries are very encouraging. Substantial support by all levels of government is imperative. Oneida Lake Probably one of the most heavily fertilized water bodies in the Eastern United States, Oneida Lake is an important resource that merits a substantial effort to eliminate problems now experienced. Control of nutrients and adequate waste treatment are paramount needs. Black River Noted for its papermills, the lower 80 miles receives wastes with a total PE of about 640,000. Conditions below outfalls of nine mills are characterized as grossly polluted. Lake Ontario program A program is being developed in cooperation with the New York State Department of Health, other State agencies, and local governments, which will set forth the control measures and improvement that must be provided to achieve satisfactory water quality. Field investigations and laboratory analyses are com pleted. Engineering and economic analyses now in progress will provide the technical basis for framing the programs. Completion of the comprehensive water pollution control program is expected early in 1967. CHAPTER 1 This statement reports the findings of a water quality study of the Lake Ontario Basin made during the past 2 years by the Lake Ontario Program Office, located in Rochester, N. Y. The study has a primary mission of developing a comprehensive water pollution control program for the Lake Ontario Basin, one of several being developed by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration for the Nation's major river basins. The Lake Ontario Program Office is part of the Great Lakes-Illinois River Basins (GLIRB) project, headquartered in Chicago. The project has the following general objectives: 1. The determination of the causes of water pollution and the effects of such pollution on both the quality and the beneficial uses of our water resources. 2. The development of agreements on the desired beneficial uses and the water quality required to accommodate those uses. 3. The determination of water pollution control measures necessary to achieve the desired water quality objectives, including a timetable for their accomplishment. 4. Implementation of the comprehensive programs which embody the control measures and surveillance activities essential to achieving our common goal of clean, clear water. The geographic area covered by this report includes Lake Ontario, its tributary waters and related land area, and the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence River watershed to the Canadian border. Field survey and laboratory work are essentially completed, and evaluation of the data is now underway. Based on study findings, a series of comprehensive water pollution control programs covering the St. Lawrence, Black, Oswego, Genesee, and lower Niagara Rivers, Lake Ontario minor tributaries, and Lake Ontario itself will be developed for implementation by those agencies having responsibility for water pollution control. As directed by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the program is being conducted in cooperation with other Federal agencies, State agencies, and local interests-especially, in this case, with the State of New York. Valuable counsel and advise have been received from responsible people in a number of private and public agencies. Many county groups and boards, such as health and planning agencies, have been instrumental in providing local information. Private agencies and universities have provided information and reports useful to the program. The Canadian Government, in carrying out its own studies, has also cooperated with this office. CHAPTER 2 RECOMMENDED ACTIONS INTRODUCTION Although engineering and economic analyses for developing the final program are still in progress, work has advanced to the point that many of the improvement measures necessary to achieve program objectives have been determined. Some of these measures apply present technology to problems needing immediate correction and are based on experience gained in solving similar problems elsewhere. They will be reviewed as the studies progress to determine whether any modifications should be made prior to inclusion in the final program. Long-range needs are currently being determined using more detailed and sophisticated analyses. These include the need for storage for streamflow regulation, advanced waste treatment, and related alternatives. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. All municipal waste treatment facilities should be designed to provide secondary (biological) waste treatment to achieve an overall reduction in untreated BOD (5-day biochemical oxygen demand) of 90 percent or higher on a continuous basis. 2. Continuous disinfection should be provided for all municipal waste treatment plant effluents. 3. Maximization of phosphate removal should be an immediate objective in the design of new secondary waste treatment facilities and in the operation of existing facilities. 4. All separately discharging industrial wastes should receive the equivalent of secondary treatment, as described above. Where practicable, industrial wastes should be discharged to municipal sewerage systems so as to receive final treatment at properly designed and operated municipal treatment plants. 5. Master plans for future waste collection and treatment facilities should be developed for the rapidly urbanizing metropolitan areas as quickly as possible. Such plans should provide, among other things, for maximum use of integrated facilities which will permit eventual elimination of the conglomeration of small, inefficient facilities surrounded by residential and commercial development. Metropolitan or countywide authorities are strongly recommended. 6. Combined sewers should be strictly prohibited in all newly developed urban areas and should be separated in coordination with urban renewal projects. Existing combined sewer systems, particularly in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, and Syracuse, should be patrolled on a regular schedule. Overflow regulating devices should be adjusted to convey the maximum practicable amount of combined flow to treatment facilities. 7. The New York State Department of Health, or designated pollution control unit, under its jurisdiction, should conduct waste treatment plant inspections at least once a year for facilities serving less than 10,000 people (or equivalent plant) and at least twice annually for larger plants. 8. Monthly reports covering the operation of municipal waste treatment plants should be submitted to the New York State Department of Health for review, evaluation, and appropriate action. 9. The State and county water quality monitoring programs should be intensified and use of automated equipment is strongly recommended in key location. The monitoring program should be supplemented by monthly reports covering the quantity and quality of all significant municipal and industrial wastes discharged in the program area. Data on waste discharges should be kept in open files, readily available to all agencies and individuals who have legitimate need for such information. 10. Adequate monitoring of swimming and other recreational waters is urgently needed. A lack of background data on heavily used beach areas seriously hampers making conclusive judgments on the health hazards. Epidemiological studies should be instituted and correlated with other surveys. CHAPTER 3 DESCRIPTION OF AREA GEOGRAPHY The watershed tributary to Lake Ontario contains a total drainage area of approximately 35,000 square miles. The Lake Ontario program area contains nearly 17,700 square miles of land and includes the lake proper, the U.S. portion of the watershed tributary to the lake, and the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence River watershed. Except for a small part of the Genesee River Basin, the entire program area is located in New York State. HYDROLOGY Lake Ontario is approximately 190 miles long and has a mean width of 53 miles. The average depth is 300 feet. There are four major rivers and a large number of minor streams draining into Lake Ontario as shown in figure 3-1. The four major rivers are the Niagara, Genesee, Oswego, and the Black. drainage areas for the major rivers are shown in table 3-1. The |