Renewing Natural Processes in An Urban

Area— An American

PerspectiveSamuel H. Sage1, Hongbin Gao1 and Ping He2

Atlantic States Legal Foundation1 (ASLF) and International Fund for China’s Environment2 (IFCE)

January 2012

ASLF◦ Established in 1982 to provide affordable legal,

technical and organizational assistance as a way to effectively remediate threats to the natural and built environment.

IFCE◦ Founded in 1996 by a group of scientists and

professionals concerned with China’s environmental problems, IFCE aims to ensure a healthy global environment and continued economic development by helping China solve its environmental problems.

About 2 Organizations

Destruction of Natural Systems by Urbanization

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/2075385806/http://neutradesign.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/urban-sprawl-in-united-states-eden-prairie-aerial-florida.jpg

UrbanizationUrban Sprawl

Destruction of Biodiversity in Urban Areas: Aquatic and Terrestrial

Replacement of Natives with Exotics and Invasives

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Mainelupin.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lupinus_polyphyllus.JPG

Lupinus perennis Lupinus polyphyllus

Habitat Interruption: Fragmentation and Migration Routes Disruption 

http://steelinterstate.org/topics/preserving-our-landscape

The construction of the wall between Mexico and the US border may cause disappearance of 11 animal species with the interruption of their migration routes

Channelization Filling wetlands Diversion through

turbine and dams Withdrawal for

agriculture, industry and human consumption

Indirect changes by cutting down trees

General Discussion of Urban Water Resource Issues

Harbor Brook, Unchannelized

Harbor Brook, Channelized

Contaminated discharge from industrial and municipal uses

Runoff and erosion Air-deposition CSO

General Discussion of Urban Water Resource Issues (Con,t)

Unauthorized Industrial Discharge (unidentified location)

http://steelinterstate.org/topics/preserving-our-landscape

Syracuse and Onondaga Lake Introduction

Onondaga Lake, Syracuse, New York, USA

1884 Solvay Process Co. opens its doors: begins making soda ash on southwestern shore

1896 Sewers built in city, backyard privies banned. Sewage flows directly into creeks

1897 Whitefish disappears from Onondaga Lake

Key Dates in Onondaga Lake History

1901 Ice harvesting banned for health reasons

1907 NYS Attorney General threatens legal action against SPC for dumping waste to lake; SPC agrees to keep wastes on land

1917 SPC begins production of chlorine. Also begins producing organic chemicals (benzene, toluene, xylenes, chlorobenzenes)

1920 SPC merges with other industries to form Allied Chemical & Dye Co.

Key Dates in Onondaga Lake History

1955-60 County establishes Metropolitan sewer district and constructs new primary sewage treatment plant

1970 Mercury is discovered in lake fishery. Fishing is banned and Allied is sued by NYS Attorney General

1972 Congress passed Clean Water Act

Key Dates in Onondaga Lake History

1975 Crucible Steel starts new wastewater treatment plant

1979 Allied sells chlorine production facility to LCP Corp.

1979 Metro plant begins secondary treatment

1981 Metro plant begins phosphorus removal

1986 Allied shuts down

Key Dates in Onondaga Lake History

1988 Atlantic States sues county for wastewater violations; NYS joins suit.

1988 LCP is fined; closes plant.

1989 County agrees to settlement.

1989 NYS sues Allied & LCP for natural resource damages; leads to Consent Order in 1992

1994 Onondaga Lake named Superfund site

Key Dates in Onondaga Lake History

First passed in 1972 and subsequently amended

Section 505 allows for citizens to enforce the law

US Water and Waste Laws and Citizen’s Roles— Clean Water Act

1988, ASLF brings a lawsuit against Onondaga County for violations of their permit to discharge to Onondaga Lake

1989, lawsuit settled

1997, the settlement was renegotiated and amended

2009, further renegotiation requires green infrastructure

Onondaga Lake Enforcement

Green Infrastructure

Recent Switch to “Green” or Natural Systems

Go to http://savetherain.us/ for more information

◦ Porous Pavement◦ Rain Gardens◦ Vegetated curb extensions◦ Tree trenches

◦ Stormwater planters◦ Cisterns ◦ Vegetated roofs

Green Water Street Design, Syracuse, New York, USA

Gray Infrastructure: ◦ Commitment to 88.7% annual volume capture in Gray

Infrastructure by 2013

Green Infrastructure: ◦ Commitment to an additional 6.3% annual volume capture

in Green Infrastructure commencing immediately in 2009, resulting in 95% total annual volume capture by 2018

Recent Switch to “Green” or Natural Systems— A Balanced Green-Gray Approach

Go to http://savetherain.us/ for more information

Benefit to Water Quality◦ Selected Gray Projects maximize storage for advanced

treatment at Metro◦ By managing stormwater before it gets into the

Combined Sewer System,◦ Green Infrastructure eliminates pollutants at the

source and reduces discharge volumes to the creek and lake

◦ Also reduces flooding and erosion

A Balanced Green-Gray Approach

Create Habitat and preserve biodiversity

Improve air quality Improve neighborhood aesthetics Create jobs and job training programs Increase property values Enhance community health and vitality

Side Benefits of Green

Non-Point science and monitoring method

Integrated planning efforts: incorporating water quality, habitat creation and urban revitalization goals in planning process

Further Needs