LIST: 5 things you’ll learn following our #SewerU November 10

We’re hosting our first-ever Sewer University (SewerU) presentation to a capacity crowd of nearly 120 guests on November 10, and if you haven’t registered, you’ll be able to follow the discussion on Twitter @neorsd #SewerU.

The goal is to bring the underground and often misunderstood sewer network and its function to the surface to better explain how our lives are affected by this critical infrastructure. Here are 5 topics we’ll cover that may interest you.

1. Sewer system 101
Sewers have been around since ancient Roman times. Cleveland sewers obviously are a tad more recent, and that reality can better shape your understanding of how the system still works today.

It wasn’t that long ago in the course of human history that sewage was simply dumped in the streets to get it out of the living space. We’ll take time to show you how Cleveland’s aging sewer network was designed, its pros and cons, and its current state.

2. The urban water cycle
In the natural environment, water exists in a cycle we learn about in elementary school. But there is a separate water cycle that shapes how water flows and is cleaned in an urban environment. We’ll examine the processes that make that cycle possible and what happens when elements of the cycle are compromised.

#ValueWater: You know the natural water cycle, but what about the urban water cycle? Here’s how CLE’s system works. pic.twitter.com/1zbLOJs02N

— NE Oh Regional Sewer (@neorsd) October 8, 2015

3. @neorsd responsibilities
We work closely with many agencies across Northeast Ohio, and it can be confusing knowing who’s responsible for what when it comes to clean water. We’ll explain our role in the urban water cycle.

4. How a treatment plant works and how we monitor
After you flush your toilet or drain your sink, the water will eventually make its way to a wastewater treatment plant, but that’s where the work begins. We’ll offer you an overview of the processes involved and the technology required to make your sewage safe clean water for the environment, as well as the monitoring efforts we employ to ensure our work is making a difference.

5. The future of clean water in the region
Our Great Lakes hold 20% of the earth’s surface fresh water, and so there is great responsibility required to maintain it for future generations. Challenges exist from a variety of sources, and we’ll touch on several including polluted stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflows, toxic algae, and more.

The presentation begins at 9:00 a.m. EST and we’ll tweet along the way. If you have questions, mention us and we’ll try to bring it into the conversation.

If you are in the Cleveland area, you can register for our next SewerU to be held January 26, 2016.