EVENT: Catch-basin clean-out protocol will be topic at 10/4 meeting

On October 4, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District will host a meeting for service directors and businesses interested in learning more about discharge requirements as they relate to municipal catch basin cleaning.
The meeting will be held at the Environmental and Maintenance Services Center, 4747 East 49th Street in Cuyahoga Heights on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. All member-community service directors and interested businesses are invited to attend.

Participants and District staff will review current District discharge requirements as they relate to municipal catch basin cleaning, share concerns with those requirements, and generate ideas for changes to the Sewer Use Code that will continue to protect people, infrastructure and the environment without unduly burdening member communities.

The District's Sewer Use Code prohibits the discharge of wastewater—including wastewater generated by municipal catch basin cleaning—to any sewer, manhole, catch basin or any appurtenance thereto or into any natural watercourse. The intent of this prohibition is driven by the District's responsibility to protect its employees, the collection system, its wastewater treatment plants, and the environment from rogue dischargers and harmful discharges.

"Recognizing the potential difficulties that this prohibition may cause for member communities, we will be working to draft proposed revisions to the Sewer Use Code related to the issue," said Frank Foley, Superintendent of Environmental Services.

Those interested should RSVP to Patricia Lewis at 216-641-6000, ext. 2230 by Friday, September 30, 2011.