Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Gets $69.5 Million Loan from Ohio EPA

CLEVELAND, OH - The Ohio EPA has approved a $69.5 million low-interest loan to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) to aid in constructing combined sewer overflow storage tunnels. The project will help improve the water quality in Lake Erie.

The EPA funds will come from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF).

NEORSD will construct about 14,000 linear feet of storage pipe tunnel, 7,000 linear feet of sewers, 13,000 linear feet of storm sewers, three large basins in which storm water will be retained, flow regulators and other needed improvements related to the structures listed above. The project will connect to existing and projected storage tunnels within the service area, reducing the incidences of overflows due to combined storm and sewage piping.

As part of this loan, NEORSD is sponsoring the following projects:

• Cleveland Metroparks work in the Acacia Reservation will be supported, which includes funding to restore 1,300 linear feet of Euclid Creek, 3.5 acres of connected flood plain, and 14.3 acres of wetland swales. The restoration will bring the area into attainment of the waterway’s designated warmwater habitat aquatic life use goal.

• The Natural Areas Land Conservancy will acquire 133 acres of Beaver Creek – Bass Lake connector, located in Geauga County. The property supports 26.6 acres of best quality wetlands, 1,917 linear feet of Beaver Creek, 1,770 linear feet of best quality headwater streams and 6,555 linear feet of smaller tributary streams.

• The Ohio Valley Conservation Coalition will acquire 75 acres of bog lands adjacent to the existing Kent Bog State Nature Preserve in Portage County, including invasive species control and other limited site restoration work. This acquisition will protect the remaining 58 acres allowing the entire rare, extremely high quality bog to be protected. And

• The Western Reserve Land Conservancy will acquire 602 acres of the Turkey Creek estuary along Lake Erie, just east of Conneaut in Ashtabula County, which contains 248 acres of high quality wetlands, 1.6 miles of Turkey Creek, 3,050 linear feet of unnamed tributaries to Turkey Creek and 4,900 linear feet of Lake Erie coastline.

Photo from Shutterstock