LIST: 10 ways to protect your plumbing if you're hosting holiday guests

'Tis the season when your bathrooms could be working overtime. Are they ready for the holidays?

If you're hosting any holiday get-togethers, don't overlook one of the most essential rooms in your home. @ItsThePlumber Tim McKenna posted great tips to check before your guests arrive to ensure your bathroom and kitchen plumbing save you from any unnecessary stress.

What tips would you add to the list? Tweet yours using #h2olidays.

AWARD: Euclid Creek Tunnel wins International Project of the Year award

We hope Mackenzie's getting her acceptance speech ready.

Our Euclid Creek Tunnel project has earned the Tunnelling Association of Canada's 2013 International Project of the Year Award, and we're honored, says Kellie Rotunno.

“We're very proud of this," said Rotunno, Sewer District Director of Engineering and Construction. "It's our first, single-pass, segmentally lined tunnel, and it is nice to have it recognized as an International success like this."

#TBT: That time James Earl Jones narrated a film about the Cuyahoga River

Post by Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

HISTORY: Next time you tap an address into your GPS, thank a pigeon. #GISday

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Before there was Google Maps, there were pigeons.

Every November, GIS Day showcases geographic information system (GIS) technology that many of us use every day without even thinking about it. It's a large part of our work, and our own GIS team has routinely used the unofficial holiday as a soapbox for sharing little-known facts about the technology and its amazing potential.

GIS Analyst Eric Baker recently reflected on the history of remote and satellite imaging dating back to the 1800s. That history included references to the year 1906 when professional photographers would harness one-shot cameras to the breast of carrier pigeons.

#WorldToiletDay: Why a singing toilet? Because singing toilet.

Your next visit to the bathroom will never be the same.

WaterAid wants all of us to say #ThankYouToilet and be grateful for the gift of sanitation that more than 2 billion people worldwide suffer without. A cute video with a very serious message (and a hummable tune).

Learn more about us and our connection to World Toilet Day and we'll thank you, too.

EVENT: World Toilet Day. (Yes, it's for real. Yes, it's important.)

November 19 is World Toilet Day. How might you celebrate?

WTD calls attention to the 2.5 billion people around the world lack access to proper sanitation.

If you're following this blog, or our Twitter streams or our Facebook page, you know we have no problem with clean potty humor or more serious discussions about the water cycle or wastewater treatment. But WTD is about more than that.

RELATED NEWS: Common diseases associated with sanitation, via UNICEF

As its mission statement points out, "World Toilet Day is not just about toilet humor, or an attempt to make toilets sexy. World Toilet Day has a serious purpose: it aims to stimulate dialogue about sanitation and break the taboo that still surrounds this issue. In addition, it supports advocacy that highlights the profound impact of the sanitation crisis in a rigorous manner, and seeks to bring to the forefront the health and emotional consequences, as well as the economic impact of inadequate sanitation."

The Sewer District has been in the clean-water business since 1972 where we have helped reduce pollution and bring a nearly dead river and damaged Great Lake back to life. Combine that with a 25-year program to reduce bacteria in Lake Erie and all sorts of infrastructure work, it makes sense that we would support World Toilet Day to bring appreciation to the clean-water and sanitation access we enjoy—while billions of people suffer without it.

top photo credit: Corey Ann via photopin cc | bottom image credit: NEORSD

NOTICE: Cleveland Water customers can expect a new bill format, separate bills for water, sewer

Beginning November 11, the City of Cleveland is changing its billing method for Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District customers served by the Cleveland Division of Water: The combined bill is being divided into separate bills in separate envelopes.

RELATED: Cleveland Water to split bills from NEORSD, hopes to clear confusion (The Plain Dealer, November 13, 2013)

Cleveland Water has been communicating this change to its customers and ours since before the last billing cycle. As a recap, here's what our customers can expect starting the week of November 11:

1. No longer one combined bill. Instead of receiving one combined bill for water, wastewater, and local charges, Cleveland Water customers served by the Sewer District will now receive a separate NEORSD bill for wastewater charges.
2. Two separate envelopes on separate days. Since Cleveland Water and NEORSD bills will now be separated, they will be mailed at separate times. Your sewer bill will be mailed about three days after your water bill and they will need to be paid separately.
3. Two separate account numbers. NEORSD customers served by Cleveland Water formerly had all services referenced under a single account number. Starting with this separation, you will have a new NEORSD account number when making payments. You will also need this new number to sign up for eBilling (if you so choose) after you receive your first NEORSD bill under the new system. 

LOOK: Rock bottom, but the view's better than you'd expect.

It's more than just a hole. There's a whole lot going on down here.

This photo was taken recently from the bottom of the Euclid Creek Tunnel shaft 1 in Bratenahl. The photographer is standing 200 feet below the surface at the location where construction of the tunnel began back in 2012. Here's what that looked like:

Digging wrapped up in August and the Euclid Creek Tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2015.

AWARDS: Cleveland Metroparks Watershed Stewardship Center, programs take home top honors

The Ohio Parks and Recreation Association listed the Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek among its recent 2013 Awards of Excellence winners.

The facility itself was recognized with two awards and the Watershed Volunteer Program was also recognized. The Sewer District, along with the West Creek Conservancy and the City of Parma, supported the Cleveland Metroparks project as a tremendous opportunity to expand our watershed and environmental education efforts in our region.

The center offers interactive exhibits, showcases property features that help manage stormwater, and hosts many community meetings and workshops to help homeowners understand how they can contribute to a healthier watershed.

See a complete list of 2013 winners.