You are invited to CSO Groundbreaking

As many of you know, the impending Combined Super Overflow (CSO) project will have a dramatic impact on our neighborhood's water quality in the long term. Unfortunately, the construction phase will be a bit disruptive in the short term.

This project is about to launch and you are invited to the groundbreaking event. See below:

Dear Friends:

As councilman representing Cleveland’s 11th Ward, I would like to personally invite you to an historic groundbreaking on Friday, April 20, 2011, at 11 AM, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited Euclid Creek Tunnel project. Please note the date change due to NEORSD scheduling conflict!

The Euclid Creek Tunnel project is a $197 million endeavor that will capture combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, thereby drastically reducing raw sewage that enters Euclid Creek and our lakefront during heavy storms. The holding tunnel will be located 190 to 220 feet below ground, and will be 18,000 feet long, with a diameter of 24 feet. It will have the capacity to hold 52 million gallons of combined stormwater and wastewater. Construction is scheduled to begin on the Euclid Creek Tunnel this April and will continue for four years.

In addition to the Euclid Creek Tunnel, the main staging area near Nine Mile Creek, will be used for two additional large-scale construction projects. One being, the Tunnel Dewatering Pump Station, which is an $80 million project that will pump sewage and wastewater out of the Euclid Creek storage tunnel to the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment. The second will be the construction of the Dugway Storage Tunnel, which will further reduce combined sewer overflows from Bratenahl Village east along the lakefront. Once completed, instead of discharging into the environment, all three projects will capture 1 billion gallons of raw sewage, which will be treated at the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant at East 140th Street and Lakeshore Blvd., in the Ward 11 community.

Directions to the groundbreaking:
The groundbreaking location is near Nine Mile Creek south of I-90. From I-90, head south on E.140th approximately six blocks. At Deise Rd. turn west. Then take a left onto E. 136th Street and then a right into the construction site. Drive through the fenced area (it will be unlocked). Drive to south side of property on the gravel road. NEORSD Staff will be on-site to direct attendees.

Given the nature of the ceremony site, all those planning to attend should wear sturdy shoes and/or boots and dress for the weather. This is Cleveland!!

More about Euclid Creek Tunnel Project (ECT):
The tunnel will start in the Village of Bratenahl, south of I-90, and continue northeast to the District’s Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, at East 140th St and Lakeshore Blvd. There, the tunnel will continue under Lake Erie for about 3000 feet and pass under the shoreline near Green Creek at East 156th Street, just north of Lakeshore Blvd. The tunnel will then head east, following Lake Shore Boulevard and Nottingham Road to E. 185th Street and end at the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and Nottingham Road, at the northwest corner.

About Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO’s):
Greater Cleveland’s earliest sewers (primarily within the City of Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs) are combined sewers. Built around the turn of the 19th century, these sewers carry sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater in a single pipe. During heavy rains, there is a dramatic increase of water flowing through the combined sewers. When this happens, control devices allow some of the combined wastewater and stormwater to overflow into area waterways—such as Lake Erie and Euclid Creek. This event is called a combined sewer overflow, or CSO, and greatly impacts Euclid Creek and our Lakefront State Parks with high levels of pollution and contaminates.

The Euclid Creek Tunnel Project, by capturing the CSO’s, will greatly enhance the quality of life of the greater Collinwood community. In addition, it will have a noticeable impact on fishing, water quality and wildlife. I have lobbied Federal and Local officials for years to see this project become a reality and I would hope that you would join with me and the NEORSD officials as they break ground for this historic project.

Looking forward to seeing you on WEDNESDAY, April 20th at 11:00 AM. If there are any further questions, please do not hesitate to call me. I may be reached at the office at (216) 664-4236.

Sincerely yours,
Michael D. Polensek
Councilman, Ward 11, Cleveland City Council