Lake Starts In Cleveland Heights, Artists Will Remind Residents

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — The suddenly ubiquitous message, "Lake Erie Starts Here" will become even more common after Saturday, September 15. That's because the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership is looking for volunteers to literally paint the message across the town.

The volunteers will take part in the Partnership's final Storm Drain Stenciling of the year, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants will be marking curbs next to residential storm drains, stenciling the message "Lake Erie Starts Here" on the pavement.

Don't worry about angry residents or organizations accosting volunteers, information on the stenciling is being distributed locally, the city said on social media. Plus, local civic groups are being encouraged to sign up for the program.

Volunteers will meet at the north end of the Cleveland Heights Community Center parking lot, 1 Monticello Boulevard. There will be a short stenciling demonstration, then all supplies and assignments will be handed out. If there's bad weather, the stenciling will take place Sunday, September 16 at the same time.

A high amount of contaminants flow from local waterways into Lake Erie. What kind of contaminants? Everything from motor oil to litter to pet waste, not to mention pesticides and fertilizers.

Most storm run-off doesn't go through the sanitary sewer system, and doesn't get any kind of treatment. Polluted run-off is a major contributor to algae blooms, like the ones that have floated dangerously close to the shores of Lake Erie in recent years.

Cleveland Heights has historically struggled with preventing polluted run-off into the lake. In June 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency sued the city for Clean Water Act Violations. The agency said at the time that Cleveland Heights allowed sewer overflow into Doan Brook and Dugway Brook, which flow into Lake Erie.

As the city works to remedy its overflow problems, engaging in small civic activities like stenciling warnings near storm drains, could help stem the tide and save Cleveland Heights considerable money.

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Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch