EVENT: World Water Day march turns students' attention to lake, resources

Your Sewer District partnered with Drink Local. Drink Tap. along with the Cleveland Division of Water and other partners to help more than 200 local middle- and high-school students better understand the value of clean water and our own water resources.

In celebration of World Water Day, DLDT coordinated a march from Cleveland City Hall to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in which each student carried at least four liters of water. The action symbolized the long walk many young people in other countries must walk to fetch water for their families, and their daily struggles against water-borne diseases.

NewsChannel 5 was there and interviewed Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and DLDT's Erin Huber to learn more about the event. Our own Wally Waterdrop even made an appearance.

NOTICE: Lakeshore Blvd. sewer project preparations underway

As part of the Euclid Creek Tunnel project, the Sewer District will be constructing the Lakeshore Boulevard Consolidation Sewer along Lakeshore Boulevard from the Easterly treatment plant to East 150th Street.
The Lakeshore Boulevard Consolidation Sewer project will include the installation of monitors at the foundations of various residences along the project route. These monitors will be small 3-inch by 4-inch plastic markers to determine if there is settlement of any surrounding buildings along Lakeshore Boulevard. This is just a precautionary measure as the Sewer District does not anticipate any major settlement, and these monitors are used solely to confirm our expectations.

This sewer will be micro-tunneled, which means it will be constructed underground to minimize surface disruptions, but there will be several above ground structures such as manholes and access shafts. 

Project Clean Lake is a 25-year program to reduce pollution in Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. 

If you have any questions, leave us a comment below.

TRUSTEES: Mayor DeGeeter sworn in, O'Malley and Sulik reappointed

Timothy J. DeGeeter, Mayor of Parma, has been appointed to the Sewer District's Board of Trustees by Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald. In addition, Ronald D. Sulik and Walter O’Malley have been re-appointed for additional five-year terms by the Suburban Council of Governments and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, respectively. These changes are effective today, when they were sworn in prior to the Board meeting.

Mayor DeGeeter has served as Mayor of Parma since 2012 and was previously the longest consecutive-serving member of the Ohio House of Representatives. A graduate of John Carroll University and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Mayor DeGeeter also served as a Parma City Councilman.

NOTICE: 24-hour construction in Garfield Heights to repair culvert, reduce pollution

Beginning the week of February 27 through the first week of April, Sewer District contractor Nerone & Sons, Inc. will work around the clock on a construction project at Wolf Creek near the intersection of Henry Street and Southern Avenue. The work will help reduce pollution by capturing more flow in the Mill Creek Tunnel system during heavy rainstorms.

Due to the nature of this work—preventing damage to existing structures and the creek banks—Nerone & Sons is required to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to complete this phase of the project. This may result in some noise disturbances, and overhead lights will be used after dark to enhance visibility.

The Sewer District will take every precaution to minimize the impact to residents and businesses. If you have any questions, call our Customer Service department at (216) 881-8247 and reference Mill Creek Tunnel at Wolf Creek

STORMWATER: Court rules program can move forward, charge fee for services

On February 15, 2012, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Thomas J. Pokorny issued an opinion in the case of Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District vs. Bath Township, Ohio, et al. (CV-10-714945).

This is the second ruling from Judge Pokorny reaffirming the Sewer District’s authority to implement a regional Stormwater Management Program; the first ruling occurred in April 2011.

The February 15 ruling includes the following:

• The Sewer District’s Stormwater Management Program fee is authorized under Chapter 6119 of the Ohio Revised Code; the charges proposed are ruled a fee—and not a tax—as the Defendants argued,
• Defendants’ Motion for Permanent Injunction was denied, and
• Judge Pokorny determined that the City of Hudson is a member of the Sewer District.

[Download Judge Thomas J. Pokorny's opinion]

TRIVIA: The answer behind the surge

Our Facebook page followers saw a question we posted earlier today:

Wondering how Super Bowl viewing affects water usage—would usage surge during halftime or post-game when viewers hit the restroom?—we asked a superintendent for a flow report for last Sunday. We didn't see a game-to-flow correlation in our Westerly plant's report, but you'll notice little surges throughout the day (marked by arrows in the photo above). What do you think causes them? Give us your guess.

A few guesses came in, but here's the real answer.

QUESTION: What would you like to see?

Our monthly email blast—environotes—has been around for several years in several forms. First, it was a limited distribution print newsletter, then an email newsletter, and now a collection of the month's social-media highlights from your Sewer District.

At one time, we focused on public-officials news, then shifted to Sewer District accomplishments, and most recently widened the view to promote customer-service oriented news and opportunities. Our current maillist includes about 1,100 names of officials, citizens, educators, residents, and other interested followers.

We'd like your feedback: What kind of news best suits this email newsletter format? Are you subscribed? Would you subscribe? Why or why not?

As our own social media efforts have grown, most of our conversation, news, announcements and alerts that were once shared via environotes have more frequently been posted on our Facebook page, Twitter account, and and here on our blog. With that in mind, is this communication venue still helpful? Necessary? How can it better serve you as customers and Northeast Ohio residents?

Leave you comments below to help us determine a direction for this environotes project in 2012.

SAVE: Affordability Program app available online

Administered by partners at the Cleveland Housing Network, Wastewater Affordability Program applications are now available as a PDF download from CHN's website.

• Link to CHN's utility assistance programs
• Download a Wastewater Affordability Program PDF application
• Learn more about our cost-saving programs

The Sewer District's wastewater affordability program—along with expansion of its Homestead program—were launched in 2011 as part of its 2012-2016 rates schedule. All of the Sewer District's cost-saving programs were promoted with a customer mailing in November that resulted in Customer Service call volumes more than six times its weekly average.

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and Cleveland Division of Water customers may apply if they meet the income guidelines posted on CHN's utility assistance page. 

The Sewer District also is developing a crisis assistance program that will benefit customers affected by a major event in their lives, such as major medical expenses not covered by any other source, job loss, separation, or divorce. The program will offer financial assistance (up to $300) toward your account and suspends water shut-off action. Program details will be available later this year.