Process plant, having broken through a retaining wall at waste bed number 7. 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". There were no reported fatalities, but there were a few injured, such as Fred Hulbert, assistant chief of the auxiliary military police at Solvay Process, who was treated for acid burns and two frozen toes after rescuing numerous stranded Lakeland residents using a rowboat. Fifty-five residents were left homeless as a result of the flood. The waste was initially intended to be removed by dumping truckloads of 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, which flows into Onondaga Lake. The cleanup process took two months to complete. The houses affected by the flood, now worthless, were purchased by Solvay Process and demolished. 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. Decline and closure Solvay Chemical continued soda ash production through the 20th century. By 1980, the demand for soda ash plummeted. By 1985, the company had lost $55 million over the previous three years, forcing Allied Chemical (AlliedSignal at the time) to close and demolish the plant, dismissing 1,400 employees. Several significant buildings, such as the company's local headquarters, were not demolished and were sold instead. References Sources Solvay Process Company Records AlliedSignal History Hardin's papers include a "Solvay Process History". Company Archives Building blueprints, Solvay Library External links William B. Cogswell Onondaga Lake Pollution History Onondage Lake, NYS DEC Honeywell and Onondaga Lake Photograph of the administration and staff of Solvay Process Company ca. 1910 from the Schuelke Collection of the Liverpool Public Library Chemical companies of the United States Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state) Defunct companies based in Syracuse, New York American companies established in 1880 American companies disestablished