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Justification: The Annual Onondaga Lake Scientific Forum
The following statements were made at the opening of the Forum to set the stage for the scientific presentations.
"Onondaga Lake can be rehabilitated and restored to become a significant economic and recreational asset. It is our collective responsibility to make it happen. We all recognize that there are significant areas of disagreement over the applicable science, engineering solutions, water quality standards, lake water use, fishing and swimming, enforcement posture of the regulatory agencies, economic impact of action or inaction, community standards and the acceptable cost of undertaking the needed remedial action.
The fact that this community has been unsuccessfully struggling with the Onondaga Lake issue for some one hundred years should give us all some reason to pause as we contemplate what we can or should do. The first essential step is to have an understanding of the underlying science, otherwise we are condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past and stay stuck on this seeming interminable and insolvable problem and issue. It is our hope that we can make a continuing contribution to the goal of Lake restoration and rehabilitation through this series of annual scientific forums starting this year. "
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