Lake Onega water per year, of which 46% are industrial and household water, 25% is stormwater runoff and 16% is melioration-related drainage. This drainage contains of phosphorus and of nitrogen; respectively of these elements are removed through the River Svir whereas the rest accumulates in the lake. Ships and motor boats (about 8,000 units) bring oil pollution at the level of about per navigation year, as well as phenols (), lead () and oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon. The lake basin is a major source of granite, marble and black schist in Russia which have been exploited in the area since
Onega, Russia limited passenger service on the Onega Bay. The Onega is served by the Onega Airport which has weekly passenger flights to Arkhangelsk and to the "selo" of Purnema on the Onega Peninsula. Close to the town, there is also an uncompleted military air base, Onega Andozero. In 2003, the Russian inland oil shipping company Volgotanker started using the White Sea-Baltic Canal for exporting fuel oil. The scheme involved delivering oil by river tanker, over the canal and into a floating transfer terminal near the Osinki Island in the Onega Bay, 36 km north-east of the port of Onega, for transfer