NEWS: "Animal rescued from drain pipe" are the feel-good stories you need right now

In a world of chaos, discord, and debate, saving animals from precarious situations make even the most hardened of hearts feel a tinge of sentimentality.

Recent weeks have seen an uptick of news stories focused on animals being rescued from danger, specifically sewer and drain-pipe rescues that draw a connection to the work we do. Our sewer crews are dedicated to protecting water quality, but when related duties call, our men and women are ready to respond.

Below are some of our favorite recent rescues, including two of our own from years past.

PROFILES: Pete and Todd's Sewer Simulator showcases the sights, sounds of a subterranean system

Todd Andexler, left, and Pete Lehman, creative minds behind @neorsd's Sewer Simulator.

When you can't take guests underground, bring the underground above ground. That's exactly what Todd and Pete did.

If you attended the District’s Open House this year or last, you may have walked through our Sewer Simulator. Field Tech Operators Pete Lehman and Todd Andexler are the Sewer System Maintenance & Operations masterminds behind this unique attraction.

The duo transformed a rusty storage container into an educational display, complete with running water and props that simulate a sewer environment.

Todd said that the inspiration for the Simulator came two years ago from a virtual sewer exhibit by Pittsburgh’s wastewater agency ALCOSAN. When asked about the biggest challenge, he replied, “Building the pump system to run a continuous cycle of water. We had to build it in a way that the pipes wouldn’t overflow or run dry.” Pete proudly chimed in, “We got it right on the first try.”

WATCH: Flush o' the Irish? Kelsey shows us green dye is for more than St. Patrick's Day.

Chicago can have its green river. Water Quality and Industrial Surveillance Investigator Kelsey Amidon shows us how we go green (green dye, actually) to protect water quality.

Fluorescent dye helps our investigators trace the source and destination of flows in our streams and sewers, and the glowing-green dye is even eco-friendly.

LIST: 5 things you'll learn following our #SewerU November 10

We're hosting our first-ever Sewer University (SewerU) presentation to a capacity crowd of nearly 120 guests on November 10, and if you haven't registered, you'll be able to follow the discussion on Twitter @neorsd #SewerU.

The goal is to bring the underground and often misunderstood sewer network and its function to the surface to better explain how our lives are affected by this critical infrastructure. Here are 5 topics we'll cover that may interest you.

EVENT: Sewer University #SewerU now enrolling, your 101 course for Northeast Ohio's sewer history and water future

VIEW THE SLIDEDECK. If you missed it, you can register for our next SewerU January 26.

All participants graduate sewer cum laude with a Business major and a minor in puns.

Have you ever wondered where "it" goes in Northeast Ohio? If so, register for our first ever Sewer University (#SewerU) Tuesday, November 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m at our Environmental & Maintenance Services Center, 4747 E. 49th Street in Cuyahoga Heights [map].

DOWNLOADS: View the slidedeck / Download PDF 

RELATED NEWS: LISTEN: WMMS host Alan Cox loves the idea. Not sure about his #SewerU football team suggestions, though.

This half-day journey into the history of sewers and the future of clean water in Greater Cleveland will take place at the Sewer District’s Environmental & Maintenance Services Center located at 4747 East 49th Street in Cuyahoga Heights [map].

Frank Greenland, Director of Watershed Programs and a 27-year Sewer District veteran, will lead the two-hour discussion and Q&A session, which will include:

• History of sewers across northeast Ohio
• Why the river burned many times before 1969
• How dirty water gets cleaned
• Stormwater, flooding and monitoring water quality
• The designs and dangers of sewer systems
• Infrastructure: Why gray and green matter
• The costs of clean water and a Great Lake

PROFILE: Sewer crew goes all MacGyver, solving a clog with hose, fishing line, remote-controlled drone

What could a sewer maintenance crew possibly be doing with a drone, fishing wire, machetes, and 600 feet of rubber tubing?

Add a roll of duct tape and cue the MacGyver theme? You could say so. But the reality is they were clearing a sewer blockage with a little ingenuity.

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.

EVENT: Go underground and behind the scenes as we #FollowTheFlow during Infrastructure Week May 11

"Go with the flow" has a meaning of its own. "Follow the flow" is going to get a little more interesting.

May 11-15 marks the third year for Infrastructure Week, a national celebration of country’s infrastructure systems and the essential role they play in our economy. To celebrate Infrastructure Week 2015, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is planning a week-long series of behind-the-scenes tours for local media and elected officials, and you can #FollowTheFlow with the Sewer District all Infrastructure Week long and trace wastewater’s path from the sewer system to Lake Erie.

Here's what we're planning and we'll be covering it all week long on Twitter, Instagram and Periscope.

WATCH: Explosion in NY sewer sends manhole cover flying

Even for sewer professionals who spend their careers underground, there are countless unknowns lurking in the sewer system. Dangers are just as common.

As a Buffalo, NY news crew covers an underground fire, an explosion underground sends a manhole cover flying. Weighing in at least 100 pounds, it gives you an idea of the strength of the blast and the risks maintenance personnel take when they work underground.

Thanks to Scott Broski for the link.

GATOR: February 9 was Alligators in the Sewers Day. We did not know this.

Chickasaw, formerly known as Jenni, rescued from Big Creek by our crews in 2012. Photo by George Uhl.

Blogosphere, we have let you down.

Apparently, February 9 was Alligators in the Sewers Day and we had no idea. For this, we're sorry.

The declaration was made five years ago to commemorate the 1935 sighting of an alligator in the sewers of Harlem, New York.

In 2012, one of our crews had a similar experience as they rescued an 18-inch alligator from the chilly waters of Big Creek in Cleveland. It was no urban legend, no unconfirmed reports, but an actual alligator. The gator, now named Chickasaw, has been in the care of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo ever since where she has been an important part of their outreach and education efforts.

Largely, alligators in sewers survives only as urban legend. Should we see any creatures of such zoological significance in our tunnels underground, we'll be quick to let you know.

Consider this date marked on our calendars moving forward.

Here's Newschannel 5's story from the day:

#BuffaloSnow: 2011 video shows how rain and snow melt can overwhelm streams and sewer systems

Seven feet of snow followed by 60 degree temperatures and rain.

The conditions of Buffalo, NY seem almost surreal, but the area is preparing for flooding anticipated as streams and sewers are surely going to be stressed by the combination of warming temps, snow melt and stormwater this week.

Northeast Ohio faced a similar situation in February 2011. The snowfall totals then were nowhere close to the 80+ inches Buffalo faced last week, but the already saturated ground beneath a layer of snow-pack caused surface runoff volumes to spike, overwhelming sewers and streams.

PHOTOS: 11 images of the underground wonders of unseen infrastructure

The underground is full of wonders to behold. But c'mon, don't break the law to behold them.

An art and architecture publisher recently printed a book featuring stunning photos of London's underground infrastructure. The catch, according to the editor, is that the photos were taken "without permission from anyone," which can pose a number of safety and legal issues.

While we don't advocate unauthorized sewer spelunking expeditions, we completely understand the intrigue of the hidden architectural wonders of a sewer system. The handiwork, the engineering, the labor involved, it really can be amazing.

Here are some of our favorite recent images showcasing these characteristics of our own system hidden below northeast Ohio. These images were taken by our employees or contractors.

HISTORY: Big balls were used to clear sewers of the 1870s

The sewer ball on a vintage postcard. Via delcampe.net

Now that's old school. Cleaning sewers in Paris in the 1870s literally required rolling giant balls of wood and iron through the tunnels.

Atlas Obscura recently posted a story about the history of the world-famous sewer network under Paris, France, including the effort it takes to keep the 160-year-old system blockage free.

Back in the old days (and even in some stretches of sewer today), workers raked muck from sewers that could be reached safely, but some scenarios called for something more. Enter these giant balls of the 1870s. They were forcefully "bowled" against larger blockages to clear tunnels.

#WaterWorks: Pipes, problems, and potential? Why water infrastructure stands in the national spotlight today.

 

Efficiency doesn't always make headlines.

Today, a national summit in Washington, D.C. is trying to change that by bringing attention to the water infrastructure our entire country relies on and yet so often overlooks.

The goal is to raise awareness of the jobs and economic impact of America's water and sewer projects, a value the Water Research Foundation places at $524 billion over the next decade and more than 289,000 jobs annually. | Download the complete report. Download a national fact sheet.

PIC: And now, just your average sewer blockage longer than a Boeing 747.

Next time you consider flushing wipes or washing cooking grease down your drain, consider you might be contributing to a Boeing 747-size sewer blockage under your city.

It happened in the UK where Thames Water recently spent four days clearing a 262-foot blockage of fat, grease, and disposable wipes from a local sewer. That's more than 20 feet longer than an average Boeing 747 jet.

Our maintenance crews have seen crazy stuff, but never anything close to a mass of this magnitude. Still, the key contributing factors—disposable wipes and cooking grease—are among our top 15 items you shouldn't flush. Just because it can fit down your drain doesn't mean it belongs there.

We say, "Don't use your toilet as a garbage can." In London, they say, "Bin it, don't block it." Even across the pond, sewer smarts are a universal language.

VIDEO: Whether you watch "Glee" or not, the irony here has got to make you laugh.

You never know what will make it through the sewers and into one of our three treatment plants.

And every wastewater plant operator has a story to tell. When we asked Southerly Wastewater Plant Operator in Training Christen Wood what was the weirdest thing she's seen, here's what she said.



You might laugh, "Glee DVDs in the sewer?"

Whether you like the show or not, it's not likely that someone "flushed" them. Most often, things like this start in the trash and somehow make it to the curb in a combined-sewer neighborhood (where stormwater and sewage flow in the same pipe). The combined flow weaves its way through the sewers and into our treatment plant, in this case our Southerly plant in Cuyahoga Heights.

Again, you never know what our crews will find in the sewers.

VIDEO: "Police of the underworld," Vienna's sewer brigade of 1934

The city of Vienna once had a police squad specifically trained for sewer patrols.

This 1934 British newsreel showcases the "canal brigade" of Vienna, Austria, braving the bowels of the city, a common hiding place for criminals at the time.



Most interesting to us was the squad's frequency of finding "tramps," men who would walk the murky tunnels in search of coins and trinkets citizens would lose down the drain. But rather than arresting them or escorting them out, they were merely searched and regularly permitted to carry on.

...All being well, they are allowed to proceed with their very exclusive occupation.

#SewerCoverCONTEST: A sewer manhole cover as a canvas? Your design could be worth $500 for local charity.

Next time you pass a manhole cover in the street, think of it as a cast-iron canvas and your design could last a lifetime.

As the Sewer District prepares new green infrastructure and Project Clean Lake construction, we are offering northeast Ohioans the chance to design the cast-iron manhole covers that will rest at the surface of some of these projects.

"The winning design will become a standard whenever new storm sewer manholes are included in Project Clean Lake construction," said Kellie Rotunno, Director of Engineering and Construction. We hope the contest and the winning design helps raise awareness about the connection between what goes in the storm drain and the health of our Great Lake.

Besides the winning design being impressed upon infrastructure that could last more than a generation, the artist will have a $500 donation made in his or her name to one of three local organizations—Community Shares, United Way or the UNCF.

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?

PIC: This accidental image could not have been better.

Jerry Mach, one of our Sewer System Maintenance & Operation team members, needed to snap a photograph during a recent sewer inspection. When he did, he didn't realize he had accidentally changed the camera settings to black-and-white.

The awesome result is an eerie but revealing image of the infrastructure upon which most of our cities have been built. Thanks, Jerry, and thanks Susan for passing us the photo.