Big Lake Former Dumpsite

Site Narrative

• Requested by the Holy Cross Village Council

This site was used as a dumping ground for 20 years or more. A sawmill located there in the 1960s was reportedly shoved into the lake when it broke down. Refuse is estimated to include vehicles, motors, batteries, and general household garbage. The request also mentions a shop building located north of the lake that has fuels and hazardous substances and a “distinctive diesel smell.” The community is concerned that the contamination in the lake could damage their subsistence fishing resources and water quality of surrounding sloughs and rivers. Big Lake was once a recreation area, used for swimming, fishing, and trapping; it is currently used for canoe races in the summer and a spring ice-picking contest.

The community would like to restore Big Lake to its former, pristine condition before the sawmill operation and the dumping so that it could be used as a recreation area once again, for swimming lessons, picnicking, community gatherings, fish stocking, and beaver trapping.

DEC developed an environmental management plan, including a site inventory to document recognized environmental conditions at the lake and adjacent shop building, recommendations for analytical testing, and exploration of options for site restoration.