LIST: 7 reasons Captain America and Hollywood would love seeing a wastewater treatment plant, you know, like ours

If Captain America and Nick Fury need to adjust their Cleveland filming schedules anticipating rain this week and are suddenly faced with time to kill—I mean geez how much time can one spend in a commissary tent?—I'm just going to put this out there:

We'd be happy to welcome them on a plant tour.

I know, I know, these guys are busy, but hey, Hollywood might even find inspiration for a future flick around facilities like ours. With three treatment plants a short drive from downtown Cleveland, there's plenty to see. Afterall, this work is what keeps our Great Lake ready for its cameo, right?

Here are seven superhero-worthy attractions our clean-water infrastructure and employees would have to offer.

TECHNOLOGY: This nearly complete state-of-the-art incineration process at our Southerly plant has added sustainability features that will capture its waste heat and use it to spin turbines and generate 25% of the plant's electrical needs. Might not be a bad backdrop for a villain who's seeking to use our technology for evil rather than good! Details about the project are posted at neorsd.org/REF

COOL FACTOR: Our tunnels are amazing feats of engineering technology. Not sure if any of our Hollywood visitors are afraid of heights, but the crane that lowers workers 200 feet underground is a sight to behold. Learn more about our Euclid Creek Tunnel work at euclidcreek.blogspot.com

NEEDED ON THE SET: Need extras? Faces and skill sets of all kinds make up our workforce of more than 600 employees. Find out more about our employment opportunities at neorsd.org/careers

HISTORY: Our Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant has origins that date back to 1908, Southerly was built in the '20s, and Westerly's first facility was erected in 1919. In Marvel's first Cap movie, he was frozen for more than 60 years; our plants were hard at work the whole time and they're still saving the day (from pollution). Scroll through our history book PDF by downloading it at neorsd.org/about

HEROISM: Last year, our crews saved a puppy from a drain pipe, and a nearly-frozen alligator (shown here) from a Cleveland creek. Both are alive and well. Great stories for sure, but still no movie offers—yet. Get the whole story on these rescues here: neorsd.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanks-two-special-animals-ar...

WORTH MORE THAN THE FIRST AVENGER? Worth one-and-a-half Captain Americas? Our 18,000-foot-long Euclid Creek Tunnel being constructed 200 feet under Cleveland is a $197 million investment in our Project Clean Lake program. That's about 1.5 times the estimated budget of the 2011 "Captain America: The first Avenger" (imdb.com)

ACTION! Oh, and we do all our own stunts. Right, Mike?

Granted, we did not mention any odors one might expect at a sewage treatment facility. It comes with the territory.


If they can't take the time off for a guided tour, maybe this seven-minute overview will suffice in between shooting Cleveland's crash scenes and explosions.


Tour a wastewater treatment plant in seven minutes from Wally Waterdrop on Vimeo.

Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson are among the Hollywood stars working on movie projects in Cleveland this summer. "Captain America: Winter Soldier" opens next April.

UPDATE: The latest "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" trailer was released February 2. Here it is: