Edgewater Beach Safe For Swimming Again

CLEVELAND, OH — Edgewater Beach is again safe for swimmers. Testing at various sites showed a drop in bacteria levels, and the waters are now safe for recreation. An advisory had been posted warning beachgoers after raw sewage spilled into the lake following heavy rains on Monday.

“Edgewater’s beachgoers can rest assured that our crews are out in the field daily during beach season to ensure their safety. If the water’s bacteria levels are too high, we want the public to know,” said Frank Greenland, director of watershed programs for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. “Through our continued infrastructure improvements, we are committed to keeping our Great Lake great and wouldn’t settle for anything less."

Approximately 130,000 gallons of combined sewage emptied into the lake on late Monday and early Tuesday morning. Sewer District crews have been testing water quality at Edgewater, along with Villa Angela Beach and Euclid Beach. The crews use a rapid system to determine if bacteria levels in the lake are within safe limits for swimmers.

The NEORSD said the overflow of sewage this week was the first overflow incident during recreation season in three years. When Tuesday's overflow happened, the Sewer District began increasing the amount of samples it was testing daily.

"In addition to our standard sampling at Edgewater, we have added four additional shoreline sites and five off-shore. We increased monitoring at these site to twice daily and are also monitoring lake currents and meteorological data," said Scott Broski, superintendent of environmental services at the Sewer District. "This intensive sampling plan allows the Sewer District’s environmental staff to thoroughly assess the water quality across the entire face of the beach."

In the 1970s sewer outfall into the Edgewater Beach area was a more regular occurrence. The sewer district said raw sewage spilled into Lake Erie 40 to 50 times a year during the mid-1970s. Since then, due to increased focus on improving infrastructure and cleaning up the lake, sewer overflow discharges have been decreased.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District said it has several projects ongoing that will further decrease the possibility of overflow events impacting the lake.

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Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch