Book excerpt: Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York is a model for the analysis and management of a polluted urban lake. Sometimes referred to as "the most polluted lake in the United States", Onondaga Lake is one of only two lakes for which a federal advisory body has been set up to guide environmental remediation. The recipient of significant municipal effluent and industrial waste for more than a century, Onondaga Lake has been the focus of intensive limnological investigation and extensive remediation efforts. This book is a comprehensive presentation of the scientific knowledge about Onondaga Lake, based on research coordinated by the Upstate Freshwater Institute. Onondaga Lake: Limnology and Environmental Management of a Polluted Urban Lake is the most complete case study of a lake, and will be of interest to water quality scientists, engineers and managers, as well as environmental engineers, modelers, and policymakers.