Collecting solids at Syracuse's Inner Harbor

Cleaning the Inner Harbor

Cleaning the Inner Harbor

If streams were avenues, Onondaga Creek would be the “Main Street” of Syracuse. It flows through dense neighborhoods and downtown's Armory Square and Franklin Square, ending at the Inner Harbor. It picks up and deposits trash that is blown in and that flows in from sewers—at the estimated rate of nearly two tons each month.

The trash that Onondaga Creek carries to the Inner Harbor contributes pollution to Onondaga Lake, and it is unsightly. It can also be harmful to watercraft and affect fish, birds, and other wildlife in the creek.

Efficient collection of floatables

Efficient collection of floatables

For nearly two decades, the Syracuse Inner Harbor has been the focus of interest for intense commercial and residential development. Onondaga County's objective is to keep a substantial volume of the floatables carried to the Inner Harbor by Onondaga Creek from entering Onondaga Lake and to improve the aesthetics of the harbor area.

Onondaga County has undertaken the following:

It has implemented an education program to communicate to residents the importance of keeping debris out of storm sewers so that the debris won't reach Onondaga Creek,
It has commissioned a specially equipped boat that is collecting floatables from the Inner Harbor for proper disposal.

The Inner Harbor of Syracuse is now cleaner and more welcoming for the thousands of people who use the area—helping to promote future development. And, the pollution load on Onondaga Lake has been visibly reduced.