EXCLUSIVE: Captain America's Cleveland visit last year included scenes at Southerly plant, Lakeview Dam

Actors Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, and Cobie Smulders—stars of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"—signed a wall in one of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District facilities where they filmed several scenes for the movie set to be released next month. Photo credit Jean Chapman, NEORSD.

Hollywood and the stars of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" left their mark in Cleveland last summer.

At our facilities, they left their marks right on the walls.

Yes, two Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District facilities served as shooting locations last May for the latest installment of Marvel's Captain America franchise, set for release next month. Those locations included a series of tunnels under our Southerly plant in Cuyahoga Heights, and Lakeview Cemetery Dam in Cleveland. When filming concluded at each location, the actors signed two walls where the scenes took place.

"It was an amazing opportunity for us," said Manager of Community and Media Relations Jean Chapman. "We we able to accommodate the shoot without impacting our services."

Local media reported that the Sewer District might have been one of several Cleveland shooting locations for crews and stars last summer, but we could not confirm that fact based on our agreement with the production company. Jean said the company was very grateful for the accommodations we offered, and it was a reflection of the welcoming reception they received from Cleveland overall.

Cobie Smulders and Scarlett Johansson's
signatures at Lakeview Dam.

In gratitude for allowing crews to film on our locations, producers made a donation to the Cleveland Foodbank, a partner our employees have supported in previous fundraising campaigns.

While shooting in downtown Cleveland took center stage last summer, many onlookers wondered where stars like Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Evans were while stunt doubles received most of the camera time. The signatures in our photos reveal where they might have been.

The "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" cast list includes Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. 

The movie is set for an April 4 release, and two of its trailers include clips that were filmed on our sites—but we admit that the fleeting glimpses might only be recognizable by employees familiar with the locations.

A tunnel under a building at Southerly. The tunnel was not being used at the time of the shoot.

The top of Lakeview Cemetery Dam. This area is typically accessed by maintenance personnel.

VIDEO: Watch how a toilet works in outer space. Because science.

ABC Entertainment News | ABC Business News

If you've ever wondered how astronauts go potty in space, here's a video. But don't worry, it's totally SFW.

This NASA clip featured on ABC News shows astronaut Cady Coleman playing with food in a very educational way to help answer one question that so many of us wonder. Using candy chocolate, Cady shows the Space Station toilet's suction, as well as how astronauts dispose of waste when their finished in the facilities.

Based on our previous blog posts, a toilet like this doesn't come cheap, but at least it will get a lot of attention even after its life in orbit is long gone. Fascinating, no?

GREEN: 46 floors of lush forests and room service

Image via clearpointresidencies.com

This rendering of a Sri Lankan hotel that just got a green light for 2016 takes sustainability to a whole new level. Forty-six floors to be exact.

A Fast Company feature described this project as a "living high rise covered in a forest," inspired by a hotel that had been carved into a lush mountainside. It will feature 13,000 square feet of solar panels and a plant irrigation system fed by recycled wastewater.

INSIGHT: The past, present and future of Project Clean Lake's "green alternatives"

Gray, green, or in between? For us, that's an important question.

cleveland.com has been presenting a series of articles focused on Project Clean Lake, our 25-year $3 billion plan to reduced combined sewer overflow pollution. The stories have covered the agreement's history and raised questions about "green alternatives" we may or may not have considered along the way.

In response, we've blogged about the alternatives we considered in the early 2000s, as well as the groundbreaking nature of our eventual agreement that allows us to evaluate and increase green-infrastructure implementation where it makes the most sense, both financially and environmentally.

Let's take a closer look at those points for a moment to better understand how green fits in the scene.

NEWS: "Is there a cheaper, greener way?" Let's take a look. #neorsdGREEN

A story posted today on cleveland.com asks the question, "Is there a cheaper, greener way" to prevent billions of gallons of sewage and stormwater from polluting Lake Erie?

It's the first in a series of articles set to look at the financial, green, and comparative aspects of our 25-year program known as Project Clean Lake [video], an effort to reduce combined sewer overflows that affect our Great Lake during heavy storms.

The article raises good questions and we hope continues to further productive conversation about our water resources and how they must be protected responsibly. But there four quotes from the story that could benefit from more perspective.

BREAKING: Regional #StormwaterProgram headed to Ohio Supreme Court

Today, the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to hear the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s appeal concerning the Regional Stormwater Management Program. The Supreme Court has accepted two Propositions of Law presented by the Sewer District.

• Proposition of Law No. 1: “A district formed pursuant to [Ohio Revised Code] Chapter 6119 is authorized to manage stormwater which is not combined with sewage, and to impose a charge for that purpose. Such a charge is one ‘for the use or service of a water resource project or any benefit conferred thereby.’”
• Proposition of Law No. 2: “When a Petition and Plan of Operations grant a [Ohio Revised Code] Chapter 6119 district the authority to operate storm water handling facilities, that District is authorized to create and implement a regional stormwater management program, including imposing appropriate charges to operate that program.”

WEATHER: Why melting snow plus heavy rains equals flooding potential across Greater Cleveland

With inches of snow still on the ground and warming conditions and rain in the forecast, the combination has potential to increase flooding risks across Greater Cleveland.

In preparation for upcoming wet weather events, we want customers and residents know how and why wet-weather events impact our region’s sewer infrastructure. With snow still standing on the saturated ground, it is possible that the rainfall could affect areas prone to flooding.

Here are some common questions amidst the anticipated warming trend.

How do storms impact sewers? Isn't that what sewers were designed to handle?

The first concern is the amount of combined sewage entering local waterways. Combined sewage is flow that contains both sewage and stormwater. Here's why:

In Cleveland, inner-ring suburbs, and many other older communities, sewers were designed in the 1800s as combined sewers to carry both sanitary sewage and stormwater in the same pipe. During heavy rains, these sewers are overwhelmed and combined sewage overflows into the environment. When there is snow-covered ground and the earth is already saturated, the rain is not soaked slowly into the ground; instead, it runs off to sewers, increasing flow volumes tremendously.

NEWS: Mayor Robert Stefanik, Sharon Dumas appointed to Board of Trustees, will be sworn in March 6

Mayor of North Royalton Robert A. Stefanik and Sharon A. Dumas, Director of Finance for the City of Cleveland, have been named to our Board of Trustees.

Mayor Stefanik was elected by the Suburban Council of Governments and Ms. Dumas was appointed by Frank G. Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland.

These changes are effective March 6, when both are sworn in prior to the Board meeting.