SOCIAL: What's not to Like? Why Facebook's new reactions are fitting for utilities like ours in social media.

As a public utility on social media, we welcome the new reaction options Facebook offers. 

Could we see a lot more Angry reactions to rate stories? or Sad reactions to construction impacts in your community? Perhaps, but if those are honest reactions, then we want our social dialogues to be both honest and constructive.

We offer the following perspective on each of the new FB reactions and what they could mean for us and you who engage with us here.

OUTREACH: Educational roadshows coming to a community near you this spring

Over the next five years, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is making a huge investment in Greater Cleveland.

Whether it’s tunnels, sewers, pump stations, stormwater solutions or green infrastructure, we are making improvements to keep our Great Lake great.

To help our ratepayers understand what this investment means to them, we will host meetings throughout our 62-community Service Area. Representatives will be available to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Construction plans
• Stormwater management
• Business and career opportunities
• Rates, how rates are determined, and cost-saving programs
• Water quality issues and challenges
• How we treat and monitor water quality to manage more than 90 billion gallons of sanitary sewage each year

All are welcome. UPDATE April 5, 2016: Communication prior today may have included different dates. The information below is the latest.

Thursday, May 19
Nordonia High School
5:00-7:00 p.m.
8006 South Bedford Road
Macedonia

Wednesday, May 25
Tri-C West Campus
5:00-7:00 p.m.
11000 Pleasant Valley Road
Parma, Ohio 44130
B Atrium in Building B

Saturday, June 4
Tri-C East Campus
9:00 a.m.-Noon
4250 Richmond Road
Highland Hills, Ohio 44122
Student Services Building / Presidents Plaza

Wednesday, June 8
Tri-C Metro Campus
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Jerry Sue Thornton Center
2500 East 22nd Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Ford Room

VIDEO: How are rates determined? / Download a PDF

FLINT: Health, trust, and funding in the wake of Flint's water crisis

Three issues are critical to the future of clean water systems, Sewer District fully supports Value of Water Coalition guidelines for sustainable future 

If Charleston and Toledo were water-quality wake-up calls, Flint is the living nightmare for residents, officials, and the entire country.

The 2014 Elk River chemical spill in Charleston, West Virginia and the 2014 toxic algae outbreak near Toledo, Ohio represented the dangers of taking water-resource protection for granted. As Flint, Michigan residents now rely on bottled water while the safety of and trust in the city’s infrastructure must be restored, the painful reality is one that is decades in the making.

"Drinking water and wastewater utilities systems do and must protect not only the water resources, but the people that rely upon them," said Julius Ciaccia, Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

"We must work together to ensure infrastructure can be safe, trusted, and affordable for future generations."

In response to the Flint, Michigan water crisis, the Value of Water Coalition, a collaboration consisting of private and public water agencies—including the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District—as well as several other stakeholders, recently released a set of guidelines to ensure a sustainable water future for all. Those guidelines, fully supported by the Sewer District, include:

#LoveCleanWater: Our printable valentines are the very least you can do.

Flowers fade away, candy loses flavor, and stuffed animals quickly become closet clutter. When you care enough to give someone the very best, share your love of clean, safe, reliable water.

Our latest downloadable edition of wastewater valentines aren't just for water professionals. They are perfect for kids, friends, family members, and anyone who appreciates the true value of clean water.

Formatted on a simple printable sheet, you can print copies for kids activities or around your home or office. If you show your love, share with us and let others know you #LoveCleanWater, too.

#SB50: Stadium prep includes flushing all 1,135 toilets, urinals, sinks at once. #SewerBowl

A bowl tradition unlike any other, behold the Super Flush.

When a stadium, arena, or large-scale entertainment venue like it opens, the plumbing is tested by flushing every single toilet, urinal, and sink drain at the same time. It's been coined the Super Flush.

It happened the year Super Bowl 50 host Levi's Stadium opened in 2014, when "hundreds of workers and volunteers" super-flushed the drains not only once, but for a full 30 minutes to ensure the water-pressure system functioned properly. It looks something like this:



While the earliest reference to Super Flushing we could find was 1998 in Baltimore, we suspect the practice predates this. Plumbing functions can be particularly stressed during big events, like in Cleveland in 2007 when 50,000 gallons of water overflowed from leaky toilets during a Kenny Chesney concert. A Super Flush of more than 100 johns after repairs were made confirmed the fix was effective.

The urban legend of a city sewer explosion due to a Super Bowl halftime surge is only a myth, but it remains one of our favorites.