Onondaga Creek

Onondaga Creek
Onondaga Creek about 1900
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Onondaga County, New York
Source	Onondaga Lake
- location	Vesper, New York, Onondaga County, New York

Onondaga Creek is a major tributary of Onondaga Lake which is located in Onondaga County, New York. The headwaters of the creek originate 27-mile (43 km) south of the city of Syracuse near the hamlet of Vesper, New York. The creek flows north through the Tully Valley and through the city of Syracuse where it empties into Onondaga Lake.^[1]

The major tributaries of Onondaga Creek are the West Branch of Onondaga Creek, Hemlock Creek and Rattlesnake Gulf.^[1] The watershed consists of mixed land use of about 80% forest, rural and agriculture and 20% rural.^[2]

History

In the late 1940s, the Army Corp. of Engineers built a flood control dam and reservoir within the Onondaga Nation Reservation for the purpose of regulating the peak flow that reaches the city of Syracuse. The structure influences the creek's flow pattern only in the event of a large runoff when a portion of very high flow is diverted into the reservoir and later released back into the creek when the water recedes.^[1]

Onondaga Creek contributes approximately 30% of the hydrological input to Onondaga Lake. Water quality in the creek has been a concern "historically with regards to its impacts" on the lake.^[1]

At its mouth, Onondaga Creek is enriched with nutrients and suspended sediment. These problems are magnified at high flows. Near the mouth, groundwater springs continuously discharge brackish (salty) water into the creek. The creek is the largest source of sediment in Onondaga Lake.^[1]

Onondaga Creek in Syracuse, New York about 1900

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "System Description: Onondaga Creek". OurLake, 2009. http://www.ourlake.org/html/onondaga_creek1.html. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
2. ^ Currie, S., Firstenberg, M., Geartz, G., Jeffords, B., Kreider, T. & Nodine, D.. "Onondaga Creek Restoration Project Report". Onondaga Environmental Institute, 10 December 2009. http://www.onondagaenvironmentalinstitute.org/Downloads/Onondoga%20Creek-%20Trolley%20Lot%20Design%20Report.pdf. Retrieved November 6, 2011.