Every Waterway in Onondaga County Is Closed. Cicero Declared a State of Emergency. More Rain Is Coming.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon signed an emergency executive order on Tuesday closing every waterway in the county due to dangerously high water levels — the first order of its kind in approximately a decade.

Two days later, the Town of Cicero declared its own state of emergency, banning all non-essential traffic on Beach Road through 6 AM Monday, April 15. Police are patrolling the road and issuing tickets to anyone who does not live there.

And the forecast for Easter weekend calls for another half-inch to inch and a half of rain on already saturated ground.

What McMahon’s Order Does

The emergency proclamation, signed April 8, closes all waterways in Onondaga County through at least April 13 and remains in effect until May 8 unless rescinded earlier. Enforcement is being coordinated between the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and the Canal Corporation.

Specific closures include the Oneida Shores Boat Launch and the Onondaga Lake Park Marina. The trails at Onondaga Lake Park near Liverpool are flooded. Hayes Road areas near the lake are also affected.

The order cites five specific hazards: hidden submerged debris including logs and branches, strong unpredictable currents, reduced bridge clearance creating collision risks, vulnerability of shoreline infrastructure to water displacement from boat wakes, and the risk of severe erosion and structural damage to docks and retaining walls.

Cicero’s Beach Road Emergency

The flooding along Oneida Lake’s southern shore in Cicero has been ongoing since at least April 2, when the Highway Department first closed Beach Road in both directions after the lake overflowed its banks.

The town escalated to a formal state of emergency on Friday, April 10. Sandbag filling stations are open at two locations — South Bay Fire Department and Muskrat Bay Fire Department — restocked with several thousand sandbags. They are open to Cicero residents only.

EMS units from both Cicero and Brewerton are stationed on standby. Engineering crews are working on drainage improvements, dredging, and pipe maintenance along Beach Road.

Supervisor Rob Santucci said the ticket enforcement is necessary because vehicle wakes from non-resident traffic are damaging homes along the flooded road. The waves erode lakefront property and push water into structures.

How Much Rain Fell and Where It Went

Syracuse officially recorded 2.01 inches of rain during this week’s storm event. Totals across the region ranged from one to three inches, falling on ground that was already saturated from snowmelt.

Flooding has been reported on the Salmon River, Fish Creek feeding into Oneida Lake, the Black River in Lewis County, the Chenango River, the Tioughnioga River in Cortland County, Cayuga Lake, and the south end of Owasco Lake. Cayuga Lake at Ithaca measured 384.2 feet as of Sunday morning, above its flood stage of 383.5 feet, with properties in Ulysses, Trumansburg, and Lansing affected.

Highway 290 between Mycenae and East Syracuse was closed due to small creek flooding. Additional road closures included NY Route 28 in both directions, NY Route 922A, County Road 30, NY Route 49 in Marcy, River Street between Routes 49 and 69 in Oriskany, and sections of I-88 between exits 10 and 12.

Cross Lake Homeowners Point Upstream

The problem is not just rainfall. Cross Lake homeowners have reported waking up to find their properties underwater, with seasonal residents returning to find docks gone. Some residents blame upstream water releases from nine different organizations managing Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka, and Canandaigua Lakes via the Seneca River system.

At Sylvan Beach, video captured a gazebo and deck floating down the Erie Canal toward Oneida Lake. Fish Creek in Taberg swelled dramatically enough to flood the Tagasoke campground. West Canada Creek Campground was partially underwater as of April 1.

Easter Weekend Forecast

A cold front is expected to bring thunderstorms and widespread rain Saturday night through Easter Sunday morning. Forecasters expect half an inch to an inch and a half of additional rainfall, with rain clearing west to east between 9 and 11 AM Sunday.

Three flood alerts remain active: the Salmon River under an advisory through Monday morning, West Canada Creek under a warning through Tuesday afternoon, and Cayuga Lake under a warning through early Wednesday.

The primary concern is not severe storms but additional flooding, because the ground is so saturated that even modest rainfall has nowhere to go.

Resources

Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management can be reached at (315) 435-2525. Cicero residents needing sandbags should go to South Bay Fire Department or Muskrat Bay Fire Department and take only what is necessary.