Western Dredging Association (WEDA) honored Honeywell and its Onondaga Lake Remediation team for the safety performance of its Onondaga Lake Remediation Project in Syracuse, N.Y. As a team member, Sevenson Environmental Services of Niagara Falls, N.Y., is the Dredging and Capping Contractor.
WEDA’s Safety Commission award is given to corporations or projects that have been conducted with special attention and focus to public and worker health and safety. Honeywell’s Onondaga Lake remediation project is one of the three largest active sediment remediation projects in the United States and is a prime example of these tenets, being a multi-year remediation and restoration project, conducted in close partnership with local community and stakeholders.
Construction activities are now complete for the first two years of the scheduled five-year program.
“It gives me great pleasure to recognize Honeywell’s Onondaga Lake Restoration team who has an outstanding commitment to safety, despite having a challenging multi-year project to implement,” said Thomas Verna, Chairman of WEDA’s safety commission. “For several years now, WEDA has been able to recognize corporations and projects that emphasize safety, and we are very proud of that.”
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Honeywell and hundreds of Central New Yorkers,” said William Hague, Director of Design and Construction at Honeywell. “WEDA’s recognition of the Onondaga Lake team’s outstanding health and safety practices and its exemplary record is a reflection of the team’s commitment to achieving a sustainable lake remedy while working in partnership with the local community.”
“The Sevenson team on this project reflects our company-wide culture of safety,” said Alan Elia, President and CEO of Sevenson Environmental Services. “We are proud to be part of Honeywell’s Remediation Team on this important project, and will continue to make worksite safety our number one priority.”
The Onondaga Lake Capping, Dredging, and Habitat Restoration program consists of several remedial activities occurring in succession or simultaneously, including sediment dredging, installation of a sediment cap, and habitat restoration and enhancement in the littoral zone of the lake (less than 30 feet water depth), as well as the thin-layer capping, monitored natural recovery, and methylmercury inhibition in the deep water portion of the lake.
Sediment dredging consists of approximately two million cubic yards of sediment removed from the lake across 205 acres of the lake bottom. Hydraulically dredged sediment is pumped nearly four miles via a double-walled pipeline to a 50-acre sediment consolidation area (SCA). Geotextile tubes are used to dewater the sediments in the SCA, and effluent water is treated at an on-site water treatment plant prior to discharge. During the first two years of the program, from July 2012 through April 2014, 1.3 million cubic yards of sediment were dredged and processed at the SCA. The sediment cap consists of approximately 2.8 million cubic yards of amended cap materials placed across 490 acres of the lake bottom. Cap materials are placed both hydraulically and mechanically, and consist of material sizes ranging from medium sand to 12-inch armor stone. During the first two years of the program, from August 2012 through April 2014, 600,000 cubic yards of cap materials were placed in the lake.
Despite the large and varied nature of the workforce, which consists of several contractors and consultants working approximately 10,000 work hours per week, safety is promoted throughout the entire program. All new employees are provided a site orientation; every project meeting begins with a safety moment; site safety audits are conducted at regular intervals; and the program manager, Honeywell, sponsors safety events such as safety luncheons once or twice annually for the entire workforce to celebrate a safe work place culture.
“Our entire team has worked to conceive and execute this project over decades, and we are very pleased with the many partnerships we have established over the years not only with the regulatory agencies, but also with the local community and citizens,” noted John McAuliffe, Honeywell’s Director of Syracuse Operations.