#h2olloween LIST: 7 comic-book characters' alter egos, and the water careers they could have had

Heroes of comic books and movies make for great costumes for all ages. But are they also indicators of career options?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier filmed in Cleveland in 2013, and before the release, we spent time examining whether famous characters' alter egos' skill sets made them viable candidates for careers in the water industry. Here were a few ideas, and the list is certainly far from all-inclusive.

CAREERS: neorsd.org/careers
COMICS: Information from Masked Heroes

LOOK: What happens one hour after drinking one glass of tap water

The possible health effects of a can of soda have been blogged and tweeted about for a long time, most recently in an infographic that made its rounds this week.

How your body responds to a glass of tap water? Perhaps even more shocking.

View full size.

#INFOGRAPHIC: When all is said and dung, what do sewers and elephants have in common? #WorldElephantDay

In honor of World Elephant Day, we're reposting an infographic we designed for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo a while back.

INFOGRAPHIC: Could Captain America use a manhole cover as his shield?

It's not made of vibranium, but could a manhole cover keep Cap protected?
Original Captain America rendering—without the manhole cover—by R. Meinerding.

The latest Captain America movie is big news in Cleveland, and particularly big news with us at the Sewer District. So that led us to an obvious question:

Could a manhole cover stop a bullet?

HEROES: Could these superheroes' alter egos have found better career options?

As Marvel Studios' "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" release date edges closer and closer—an event in which we hold particular interest—we've got superheroes on the brain.

Of course, Captain America's alter ego was Steve Rogers, whose comic book origins state he was a fine arts student and budding illustrator. If he hadn't become Cap, what might his career options have been?

We considered the same question for several other comic book classics, and wondered if they could have found a place in the clean-water industry. Here were a few ideas, and the list is certainly far from all-inclusive.

CAREERS: neorsd.org/careers
COMICS: Information from Masked Heroes

INFOGRAPHIC: Fossilized feces? What dinosaurs left behind still fascinates. #DinoDoo

Haplocanthosaurus skeletal mount at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Scott Robert Anselmo via Wikipedia.

In our business, there is much to talk about when it comes to our "business." Our bodily functions and trips to the bathroom every day account for much of the flow we treat and release to Lake Erie.

But when unique opportunities arise to educate about the importance of clean water and the sewers that make that possible, we take them seriously.

Even if the phrase "dinosaur poop" does make you snicker.

TIPS: The #12clogs of Christmas [#infographic and video]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but here's a wish list of a different kind.

If you whistle while you work preparing for holiday gatherings, here's a new take on a Christmas tune that will help you (or your guests) remember what not to put down the drain.

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.

LIST: 10 ways Buzzfeed lists have inspired us to, well, make more lists

1. Lists give us a reason to post awesome photos.

2. And goofy gifs.

 

LIST: Friday's 13 fears of water, storms, lakes, and fish

Our clean-water work should inspire confidence in the community, but we found there are also many phobias associated with many aspects of our daily duties. Here are 13 we found.

HOME: #PitchThosePills! What to do with your old or unused meds

What do you do with your outdated or unused medications at home? Many residents don't know what to do with them, but we have recommendations to protect your family and our environment.

We remind you to pitch those pills properly. Here's why:

Download this as a PDF

Besides the dangers of unintentional poisoning at home, flushing pills down the toilet can be a water quality issue as wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater. It can affect the environment and public health.

What to do for safe disposal

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration regularly offers its National Take Back Initiatives, but you don't need to wait until then: Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District offers year-round recommendations, including the County Sheriff's RX Drug Drop Box Program at local law enforcement agencies.

COLLECTION EVENTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY: Upcoming @neorsd #PitchThosePills collection events

Many may think it's OK to simply flush old or unused medications down the toilet, but that's not true. While researchers have no definitive evidence of human health risk directly related to flushing unused medications, the Sewer District has found education can help reduce this source of potential contamination.

Research, education continues

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater is not a new issue. We have researched and monitored trends dating back to the mid-1990s and have been involved in state and national dialogue ever since. We will continue to be active in all pharmaceutical wastewater-treatment research and seek the best solutions to address any health and environmental concerns.

INFOGRAPHIC: What the flush? Weirdest things ever flushed down the toilet.

Some strange items survive the long journey through the sewers and into our treatment plants. But some of the best "lost and found" stories are much closer to home.

Contractor Fails composed a great infographic featuring some of the not-so-flushable items and their tales that topped its list of favorites.

Courtesy of: Contractor Fails

INFOGRAPHIC: Wow, he must have left a Tyrannosaurus mess. #DinoDoo and @clemetzoo's Dinosaurs! exhibit

Sure, we have a Pick Up Poop! campaign for your dog, but you'd need a whooooole lot of baggies for droppings this big.

We're excited about our latest educational partnership with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and their new Dinosaurs! exhibit that opened last week. And the graphic below is just a part of the outreach we're using to make some of the connections between these thunder lizards' business and ours.

While we love telling fun stories about wastewater treatment and the environment to educate our customers, we love connecting our work to already interesting topics even more. This exhibit is an example of that. Thanks, @clemetzoo. And here's our infographic:

INFOGRAPHIC: Going, going, gone. Baseball and sewers by the numbers.

Our efforts to find the similarities between sewers and America's pastime gives "Going, going, gone." an entirely new meaning.

#WaitToTweet: Toilet-texting trends toward topical

We're always looking for creative ways to talk about the importance of clean water. So if we can talk about our business where people are doing theirs, sign us up.

That's what makes our #WaitToTweet campaign fun.

Our infographic and stats about cell-phone-users' toilet-texting trends was our way to educate customers about the flow of water beneath their seats. It's received a nod from The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene, and now the Alan Cox Show:

It's not the first time we've been on Alan's airwaves, and the common hook seems to be fecal bacteria. Go figure.

INFOGRAPHIC: "Will I have to pay a stormwater fee?"

We've seen major traffic on our Stormwater FeeFinder page as customers get a preview of their 2013 charges and credit opportunities associated with our regional stormwater management program.

Some callers and site visitors have asked why their properties are not showing up with a fee summary. The answer is that the property may be outside of our stormwater service area. The graphic below helps to explain the map, legends, who pays the fee, and who will not.

Source: neorsd.org via Wally on Pinterest