Swimming advisories at Edgewater, Villa Angela and Euclid beaches

Today, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District posted public advisories at Edgewater Beach, Villa Angela Beach and Euclid Beach. The advisories were posted as a result of several combined sewer overflow (CSO) events at the beaches.

These overflows discharged raw sewage into Euclid Creek and Lake Erie during today’s heavy rain event. Visitors—particularly children, the elderly and those in ill health—are advised to avoid contact with the water.

Since 1972, the Sewer District has reduced the volume of combined sewer overflows from 9 billion gallons to 4.5 billion gallons. Throughout the mid-1970s, the combined sewer outfall at Edgewater Beach discharged raw sewage into Lake Erie approximately 40 to 50 times per year.  However, because of the Sewer District’s improvements to aging infrastructure, the Edgewater combined sewer overflow discharges have significantly decreased. The last Edgewater discharge occurred July 13, 2010.

The Sewer District’s Project Clean Lake—a 25-year, $3 billion capital improvement plan—will enable the Sewer District to continue constructing additional tunnels throughout Greater Cleveland, further reducing raw sewage from entering local waterways. The Sewer District has recently broken ground on the Euclid Creek Tunnel which will drastically improve water quality near Euclid Beach and Villa Angela Beach. The Mill Creek Tunnel, which is near completion, will be able to contain 75 million gallons of raw sewage when fully on-line, redirecting sewage to the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant instead of local waterways.

Other mid-west cities, with similar combined sewer infrastructure, are addressing combined sewer overflow issues, as well.