Sewer District Love

In late September my husband, younger daughter and I attended the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Clean Water Fest. I’m going to make a strong argument that our sewer district here in the Cleveland area (NEORSD) is… really a pretty cool organization. And it’s not just because they give out a free ice cream cone at the Clean Water Fest.

First, NEORSD has become regionally (and even nationally) famous for its social media posting, especially on X (formerly Twitter). Sure, some of it is toilet humor. But, well, that is part of their business and they keep it pretty clean. Insert laughing emoji. 

Second, at Clean Water Fest this year, NEORSD released a locally drawn, written, designed and printed comic book Lake Erie League. Come on. This is just fantastic. Two years ago when I attended they had created essentially sports cards for some of their staff and their professional roles and the individuals were there to sign the cards for kids.

Third, most evidence suggests that NEORSD is well run and has been effectively planning and executing projects that are improving our wastewater management in the region.

In early September, NEORSD announced a potential future high-profile project. There is currently a very large outfall pipe that can discharge storm and wastewater onto Cleveland’s Edgewater Beach, a beloved and popular spot just west of downtown Cleveland. Discharge is infrequent. It happens when the combined sewer system is overwhelmed by an especially large rain event. If it does happens, it isn’t good. There are advisories for several days to remains off the section of the beach and out of the water due to sewage and contaminants. 

The proposed project would construct a new 1,400 foot tunnel 10-12 feet in diameter. Instead of routing the water, new design technologies would allow it to act like a floodplain, spreading the overflow outward to be routed into a multitude of other pipes in the system.

In fall 2022, I had the opportunity to join the City Club of Cleveland and NEORSD on a tour inside the current outfall pipe. It was so interesting to see and hear about the tunnels and pipes that carry wastewater to be cleaned and then returned to the Cuyahoga River and other parts of the Lake Erie watershed. We walked in several hundred feet so there were significant safety precautions in place for each small group that entered and then exited.

At Clean Water Fest this year, a NEORSD staffperson who gave us a tour of the Southerly Water Treatment Plant confirmed that the water put back into the river post-cleaning is significantly cleaner than what is pulled out at origin. I really commend those individuals who serve us all in this sector. It’s not glamorous work, but it is essential and remarkable and worthy of our respect and gratitude.