Honeywell International Will Spend Millions On Cleaning Polluted Areas In Camillus and Geddes

Honeywell International reached an agreement with the state Tuesday night in regards to cleaning up polluted wastebeds in Camillus and Geddes. The waste beds are on over 670 acres of land near Onondaga Lake. The land was polluted for years by its previous owner, Allied Signal Corporation, who merged with Honeywell International in 1999.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says that the agreement calls for several million dollars to be spent on capping polluted wastebeds and improving the area. Honeywell plans to use a green-solution, by planting willow shrubs on the wastebeds. The willow shrubs will help to absorb water that would otherwise carry salts into Onondaga Lake and Nine Mile Creek. Under the agreement, Honeywell also:

• Building a boat launch on the southwest shore of Onondaga Lake
  
• Allow public fishing on its property near Nine Mile Creek and its property off Tully Farm Road
  
• Pay over $150,000 for future Onondaga Lake observation

• Pay a $100,000 fine to New York

Diane Carleton, Regional Public Affairs Director for the DEC, says the land does not pose a threat to anyone, but Honeywell International must still take action.

"It isn't really a danger to people, but its more of a danger to the environment," Carelton said. "We want to clean the whole area up becasue those are chemicals that were contaminated, and they need to be removed."

Carleton said the agreement the state made with Honeywell International will be closely monitored for years to come. Honeywell International must run all operations through the DEC, ensuring the wastebeds are cleaned up properly.

"Its not as though they have free range to go and do whatever they want to cleanup," Carelton said. "The cleanup and proposals for the cleanup get monitored by the DEC."

Carelton said the wastebed cleanup will take about 10 years.

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