50 years of people, programs, and progress
Protecting public health and water resources for five decades
Cleaner water. Safe recreation. A better future. All because our customers have trusted us for 50 years.
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District was established in 1972, and since then has been maintaining, improving, and expanding a system that protects more than a million Northeast Ohioans every single day. What began with a burning river has become a comeback story that’s still being written thanks to you.
Our work is wastewater treatment and stormwater management. It doesn’t get attention. It’s rarely realized beyond the bills you pay each month. When it’s functioning, it’s easy to take for granted. Good decisions, smart investment, and innovation have protected our environment because that’s what you should expect. It’s just what we do, and have done for 50 years.
During 2022, we’ll continue to tell the stories of our people, programs, and progress, highlighting the impact our work has had on our residents and our region, culminating in our Clean Water Fest on September 17, 2022.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Join us at special events throughout the year for special collectable pins and your chance to screen print your own posters and apparel featuring our custom limited-edition artwork while supplies last.
Follow our updates on our social media including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Timeline: 50+ years of history
Even before our creation in 1972, events were shaping our future work and the responsibilities we would take on. Since then, our work has been extensive, expensive, and essential.
Themes: It’s about impact.
Our work has affected the lives of Northeast Ohioans for 50 years. They might not know it, but they do know the impacts, and we’ll focus our attention on six of them between March and August.
March: Sparking change
Even before our creation in 1972, local and national events were shaping our future work and the responsibilities we would take on. Since then, our work has been extensive, expensive, and essential. We’ll talk about that history.
April: Healthy lake and streams
Our earliest days were heavily invested improving our treatment plants and expanding the system to best serve our region. Doing so began bringing life back to a once-dead river.
EVENT: Join us at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Saturday, April 23 for Party For The Planet. Your chance to print your own poster! Details.
May: Recreation
As we welcome beach season, we’ll look more closely at the programs that have helped make our river and lakefront a destination—and how we plan to keep them that way.
EVENT: Join us at the Great Lakes Science Center Saturday, May 7. Your chance to print your own poster! Details.
June: Protecting our lake and streams
Our combined sewer overflow control work didn’t start with Project Clean Lake. But the consent decree was a manifestation of years of work and forethought. We’ll celebrate Project Clean Lake at its 10-year mark by visiting our latest project that reflects that commitment to purpose and precision.
EVENT: Join us at Pride in the CLE Saturday, June 4. Your chance to print your own poster! Details.
July: Resilience
Managing a 476-mile stream network comes down to understanding our environment’s past, present, and future. Our regional stormwater management program was years in the making, and we’ll examine how it’s helping sewer and stream networks at the same time.
August: Community
As a regional utility, relationships are key. This month we’ll celebrate the ways we are advancing our clean-water mission with partners and customers together.
EVENT: Join us for two Cleveland Metroparks events this month at the Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek. Dog Day at West Creek is Sunday, August 7 and you can have a chance to print your own custom-artwork poster, and Backyard Nature Bash is Saturday, August 13 where you can have a chance to screen-print your own t-shirt while supplies last. Details.
If you would like additional information about any of these stories, or would like to learn more about our clean-water work, please contact Senior Public Information Specialist Jennifer Elting at (216) 881-6600.