Editing Lakeland, New York (section)

==1943 industrial waste flood==
On [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] in 1943, 40,000 tons of [[industrial waste]] consisting of [[calcium carbonate]] and [[Magnesium oxide|magnesia]] flooded Lakeland. The industrial waste broke through a waste bed retaining wall at the [[Solvay Process Company]] plant. Two square miles were covered by the waste, which reached as much as eight feet deep in some places. ''[[The Post-Standard]]'' reported in 1993 that "every tree, shrub or blade of grass within a square mile was dead". Parked cars were mired and flooded by the waste, including one car at the fairgrounds that was swept 1,000 feet.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-11-24|title=Thanksgiving 1943: A flood of toxic 'marshmallow-like goo' forces the evacuation of a CNY town|url=https://www.syracuse.com/living/2020/11/thanksgiving-1943-a-flood-of-toxic-marshmallow-like-goo-forces-the-evacuation-of-a-cny-town.html|access-date=2020-11-25|website=syracuse|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2014-11-26|title=Today in History: Stranded in Solvay, NY State Fairgrounds Flooded|url=https://www.cnyhistory.org/2014/11/stranded-in-solvay/|access-date=2020-11-25|website=Onondaga Historical Association|language=en-US}}</ref>

All available Onondaga County Sheriff's Office deputies, as well as nearby fire departments, [[Solvay, New York|Solvay]] police, the [[New York State Police]], the [[American Red Cross]], and Solvay Process crews were called in to contain the flood and rescue residents. Volunteers from the [[Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals|SPCA]] were also present to help rescue animals and livestock. The Red Cross operated a shelter at the State Fair Hotel. There were no reported fatalities, but there were a few people injured, such as an auxiliary military policeman from Solvay Process who was treated for acid burns and two frozen toes after rescuing numerous stranded residents using a rowboat. Several animals, pets, and livestock were also rescued, though a pig, several geese and ducks, and hundreds of chickens drowned in the sludge. 55 residents were left homeless as a result of the flood.<ref name=":0" />

The waste was initially intended to be removed by dumping truckloads of [[Ember|cinders]] into the waste until it solidified enough to be shoveled out, but that plan was scrapped in favor of dissolving the waste using water and eventually pumping it into [[Ninemile Creek (Onondaga Lake tributary)|Ninemile Creek]], which flows into Onondaga Lake. The cleanup process took two months to complete. The houses affected by the flood, now destroyed and worthless, were purchased by Solvay Process and demolished.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

An investigation launched by Solvay Process into the incident reported that the dykes at the plant were built of old Solvay waste, not dirt, and that they were built too rapidly. The investigation also stated that the demand for production during [[World War II]] was too great and help was too limited. After the incident, Solvay Process moved their waste beds away from the shoreline of Onondaga Lake.<ref name=":0" />

Most of the affected area is now a parking lot for the fairgrounds.<ref name=":0" />