PROFILE: "You'd think I just walked out with a PhD," retiring Weeden remembers a proud day 30 years later

Ray Weeden, a Westerly Security Officer in 1987, displays his certificate of completion of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation classes.

If ever there was a story of someone working their way to the top, it’s Ray.

Ray Weeden is nearing retirement as Director of Operation & Maintenance in February after more than 35 years of service.

Born and raised on the east side of Cleveland, Ray worked a variety of jobs out of high school, including security gigs. Following a downsizing at the UAW plant where he was a security guard, Ray was out of work for 13 months, and went back to school full-time. When he heard the Sewer District was hiring, he put in his application. “I started at the District on May 25, 1981, a day I’ll never forget.”

LIST: We found a can of soup at @neorsd HQ dated 2006. It's older than these 13 things.

Campbell's Chunky firehouse chili, oh how much you've missed.

A colleague found this expired can of soup dated 2006 tucked in the back of our community kitchen at @neorsd headquarters. What has this forgotten spicy beef and bean chili missed in the last 11+ years?

1. Two terms of President Barack Obama
2. Our 25-year Project Clean Lake green light and long-term savings
3. LeBron leaving Cleveland...
4. ...and returning...
5. ...and bringing home an NBA Championship. 
6. The launch of Twitter (2006)
7. The creation, suspension, and relaunch of our Regional Stormwater Management Program
8. The appointment of Ciaccia as our CEO...
9. ...and his retirement...
10. and the confirmation of his successor Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells.  
11. The digging of a 3-mile-long tunnel 200 feet underground
12. A memorable Cleveland Indians World Series run
13. The construction and operation of a LEED-certified Renewable Energy Facility at our Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center

The list could go on. And will go on, as we don't plan to open the can anytime soon.

NEWS: Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells to be appointed CEO, sees "opportunity to build upon successes"

Leadership, passion, commitment among words used to describe Dreyfuss-Wells as CEO Ciaccia prepares for February retirement

Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells will be appointed Chief Executive Officer effective February 11. Dreyfuss-Wells will succeed Julius Ciaccia who, after more than nine years as CEO, will retire on February 10, 2017.

Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells addresses
the City Club, 2016

"Under the leadership of CEO Ciaccia, the Sewer District has become one of the most renowned progressive environmental organizations in the nation," Dreyfuss-Wells said. "I would like to thank the Board of Trustees for giving me the opportunity to build upon those successes."

Dreyfuss-Wells has been with the Sewer District since 2008, and currently is the Deputy Director of Watershed Programs. In addition to her leadership role in the development and implementation of the Regional Stormwater Management Program, Dreyfuss-Wells played a critical role in the negotiations with the federal government of Project Clean Lake, the Sewer District’s program to significantly reduce the amount of raw sewage discharging into the environment.

She has led on the Sewer District’s Green Infrastructure Program, including the implementation of the grants program, which is designed to remove stormwater from the combined system as redevelopment activities occur.

BUZZ: Where poo and pop culture collide, we are there. Watch Jessica take @BuzzFeed's poo quiz.

As your trusted authority for all things poo and pop culture, we considered it an obligation.

When BuzzFeed posted a "How poo obsessed are you?" quiz, we wondered—based on our areas of expertise—exactly how we'd fare in the final tally. We believed it would be irresponsible of us not to take it.

So we interviewed our own Community Relations Specialist Jessica Shutty, asking her to take the quiz (with no advanced knowledge of the questions). Her honesty and humor are unmatched in our social media archives, so enjoy the exchange.



In a related note, you can request a guest speaker on poo, wastewater, sustainability, stormwater, and a host of many other topics, whether humorous or professional or both.

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.

WATCH: Reading Rainbow's visit to a sewage treatment plant reminds us how awesome LeVar Burton is

If you watched Reading Rainbow as a kid, or if you're still tuned in to today's incarnation of the PBS classic, then this episode proves the theme song's line, "I can go anywhere."

Host LaVar Burton takes a trip to and through a wastewater treatment plant. And while some technology showcased here differs slightly from how we operate in Cleveland, the process is largely the same, and the result is clear, fresh, safe water.

But you don't have to take our word for it.

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.”

NEWS: "I can happily announce my intent to retire," CEO Ciaccia to leave a clean-water legacy

Ciaccia has served the Sewer District since 2007.

Julius Ciaccia, Jr., has announced his intent to retire from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, effective this coming January. Ciaccia has led the organization since 2007.

Ciaccia joined the Sewer District following a 30-year tenure with the City of Cleveland, serving as Director of Public Utilities and Commissioner of Water. Throughout his career, he has been extremely active with water and wastewater organizations, serving as President of Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), Water Utility Council Chair for American Water Works Association (AWWA), Chair at Water Research Foundation (WRF), and as President of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). He currently serves as a US Water Alliance board member and locally on the Cleveland Water alliance board.