COMMUNITY: Leadership and love of learning inspire little free library

Every little bit of reading helps, and every little free library helps a lot.

Today, members of Cleveland State University’s Leadership Academy XXIV dedicated a Little Free Library at 1299 Superior Avenue in Cleveland.

“Exposure to reading at a young age heightens the desire to learn and the mind’s amazing ability to absorb information,” said Ava Decembly (CMHA), Distinguished Fellow, Leadership Academy XXIV. “This establishes a firm foundation to build upon, thereby increasing one’s odds of future success.”

Leadership Academy includes a diverse team of public sector employees from many local organizations including Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cuyahoga County, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Village of South Russell, City of Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County, City of Avon Lake, Cleveland Public Library, City of Brooklyn, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services.

Five @neorsd employees participated in this year's Leadership Academy class.

PHOTO: Kids write the darnedest things.

When kids start clearing their desks at the end of the school year, parents never know what to expect.

We were sent a photo of kindergartener Nicholas' worksheet about the five senses, and we know for a fact our plant operators can relate to his sense of smell. Chances are his teacher gave him either an A, or an "Ew."

Related stories:

• EVENT: Tour a treatment plant September 19 at our Open House
• SMELLS: Making scents of the wastewater treatment process

NEWS: Central neighborhood brownfields go green with Sewer District project

Sewer District awarded $400,000 in clean-up funds to help with Green Infrastructure project

Contaminated land like this between Woodland Ave. and
Kinsman Rd. will be remediated to make way for a green
infrastructure project.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has been awarded $400,000 from the US Environmental Protection Agency to clean up two brownfields in Cleveland's Central Neighborhood.

Two properties located between Woodland Avenue and Kinsman Road near E. 65th Street, polluted with thousands of cubic yards of industrial waste atop contaminated soils, will be remediated to make way for the Sewer District's Woodland Central Green Infrastructure Project.

The Sewer District applied for two Brownfields Cleanup Grants, each with a maximum award of $200,000. Awarded monies will help defray the total cost for site cleanup; estimated remediation costs are $1.2 million for these properties alone. Cleanup activities will include site preparation and restoration, removal and separation of solid waste, transportation and disposal of trash as well as backfilling of the site.

"We are extremely pleased about receiving these grants and grateful to our congressional delegation for supporting our applications," said Julius Ciaccia CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

WATCH: What a 5K course through a wastewater treatment plant looks like. #cwc5k

On a 280+ acre swath of land in Cuyahoga Heights sits a series of tanks, tunnels, troughs and trails that help clean tens of billions of gallons of water each year.

It's also the site of the Clean Water Classic 5K.

Each year, we host the #cwc5k to promote wellness and support the Charity Choice campaign benefiting local charities. If you haven't participated before, the video above is the high-speed view of the course runners face the morning of the race.

The choice of music flowing through your ear buds that day however is up to you.

CAVS: Cuyahoga River fire? Top 3 #BlameDelly Cleveland environmental disasters

Even before game three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova had earned a reputation as a "dirty player." Cavs fans in disagreement have spawned #BlameDelly memes and social-media commentary in recent days.

We suspect the cold-hearted Delly can also be implicated a number of Cleveland's environmental challenges.

1969 Cuyahoga River fire

• True cause: Pollution on the surface of the river was set ablaze by a spark from a passing train.
• #BlameDelly version: Matthew Dellavedova dove for a loose ball and caused the igniting spark when his stone heart scraped a rock on the bank.

Lake Erie toxic algae bloom

• True cause: Higher levels of phosphorus washing into the lake from surface runoff.
• #BlameDelly version: Matthew Dellavedova has polluted Lake Erie intentionally because his thirst can only be quenched by water as dark as his soul.

Combined sewer overflow pollution

• True cause: Century-old combined sewers under Cleveland were not designed to handle the increasing volume of surface runoff, leading to pollution overflowing into Lake Erie following heavy storms. Improvements have been made and more are underway.
• #BlameDelly version: Matthew Dellavedova is a dirty player and his filth seeps into the earth of every surface he touches.

As the Cavs continue their run towards a ring, we'll continue our run towards a greater Lake Erie. Go Cavs.

RECAP: "It's kind of amazing what exists under a manhole cover." #FollowTheFlow

In a whirlwind of scents, sludge, and sights seen by few other eyes, Infrastructure Week last week allowed visitors and followers an underground behind-the-scenes look at the sewers that help make clean water possible.

"It's kind of amazing what exists under a manhole cover," as WCPN's Anne Glausser put it as she peered down the century-old depths of a brick-and-mortar sewer line. And those are the reactions our #FollowTheFlow events were designed to inspire.

NOTICE: Our administrative offices are closed today

Due to localized fire damage on the 4th floor of the George J. McMonagle Administration Building around 1:00 last night, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's administration building will be closed today, May 18, 2015.

No injuries were sustained. We are in the process of assessing damage and are ventilating the building throughout the day.

All other facilities will remain open and essential staff are required to report to work. Please contact your supervisor if you have any questions regarding your requirements.

If you have functions or meetings scheduled for the GJM Building Monday, May 18, please check with your meeting coordinator to reschedule or confirm other arrangements.

We are expected to be open as usual tomorrow, May 19, 2015. We will keep you posted as new information becomes available.

PHOTO: This is why. / #InfrastructureWeek #FollowTheFlow

And this Instagram caption is exactly why #InfrastructureWeek is fascinating.

The interplay of everyday structures you see and systems you don't, including the unnamed professionals who create and maintain them, are intricate works of both art and function. Sometimes it's a new perspective that opens eyes to that unappreciated reality.

While most are fascinated by the visible, for me how things are made and the unseen that makes it all happen are more fascinating. I pay much more attention to how new MacBooks are put together than some of their features. Similarly I feel the looks of bridges get all the attention. The artistry that keeps them carrying the human load day after day isn't seen as much. I found myself under the Manahattan Bridge this weekend and it was fantastic to see the intricate details of this structure I have crossed over multiple times. It was under the bridge we congregated for an Instameet that was a unique experience. Thank you @leifography for inviting me, @superamit & @wesleyverhoeve #nypix #WWIM11NYC #wwim11 #VSCOcam #nyc #instagood #instameet #instadaily #instagramnyc #photooftheday

A photo posted by Follow My Blog: Om.co (@om) on Mar 23, 2015 at 4:38am PDT

#FollowTheFlow during #InfrastructureWeek as we tweet and Instagram @neorsd. You can also follow @RebuildRenew and @TheValueofWater

#SmallBizWeek: Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses, big opportunities

"We want to say thank you."

Benjamin Holbert's simple statement May 6 kicked of the Sewer District's first-ever Small Business Week reception to acknowledge the more than 140 small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses that we worked with in 2014.

Holbert is the District's Business Outreach Coordinator working in Contract Compliance.

The event was coordinated by the @neorsd Business Opportunity Program as part of National Small Business Week. The Business Opportunity Program certifies M/W/SBEs to promote greater opportunities for doing business on District projects.

WATCH: Oscar-nominated director's toilet paper commercials will make you laugh. And paranoid.

What do you get when the twice-Academy-Award-nominated director of "Capote" and "Moneyball" makes toilet paper commercials?

Masterpieces.

These creative spots for Quilted Northern toilet paper were directed by Bennett Miller, and his approach peers through the unblinking eyes of inanimate objects commonly found in bathrooms everywhere. What do they see? Everything.

BUSINESS: Huge investments, small businesses, and local success stories #SmallBizWeek

Infrastructure that lasts beyond a generation is a huge investment. Few often realize it's small businesses that help make it possible.

This week is National Small Business Week, and we join local voices in support of small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses that contribute to our Northeast Ohio economy.

"I’m very proud of the effort the Sewer District has made to engage and attract small businesses," said Tiffany Jordan, Sewer District Manager of Contract Compliance. "Just last year, more than $45 million has been paid to local small businesses, which includes Minority-owned, Women-owned and Small Business Enterprises."

SUMMER: Ready for beach season? So are we, Mass Spectrometer and all.

How new technology and capabilities will help us identify toxic algae in Lake Erie using a recently approved EPA method; Sewer District is the first agency to offer these capabilities in Ohio

Consider this the summer of science.

As our daily beach water-quality testing and notification is set to resume in the coming days, we've added a bit of tech to our monitoring capabilities to better evaluate toxic algae threats with warmer months ahead of us. And that's big news for the entire state of Ohio.

Something old, something new

This week, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District resumes daily beach testing at Edgewater, Villa Angela and Euclid Beaches to predict and determine water quality for public notification. Daily testing will continue through September 10.