Cleveland, Ohio sewer district passes halfway mark on $3 billion tunnel program

(UI) — The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s $3 billion Project Clean Lake has reached its midpoint, with major progress made on the massive storage tunnel network designed to curb sewage overflows into Lake Erie, according to Cleveland.com.

Launched under a 2011 consent decree, the 25-year program aims to reduce combined sewer discharges from 4.5 billion gallons annually to just over 200 million gallons by 2035. Upgrades will include seven deep-rock storage tunnels, treatment plant expansions, and green infrastructure investments.

So far, 74 of 82 projects are completed or in progress. Four tunnels — Euclid Creek, Dugway, Doan Valley, and Westerly — are already online, with the Shoreline Storage Tunnel expected to open within months. Two more — Big Creek and Southerly — remain on deck. The tunnels, stretching two to five miles and reaching depths of up to 300 feet, are designed to hold billions of gallons of stormwater and wastewater during heavy rain.

The effort has already cut annual overflows by 2 billion gallons and eliminated 14 of 126 outfalls, with 75% of the remaining ones now meeting U.S. EPA standards, as reported by Cleveland.com.

Next up is a high-profile fix at Edgewater Beach, where a 1,400-foot diversion tunnel will reroute surging flows to the Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant. The new link is expected to permanently eliminate one of Cleveland’s most visible overflow points, once notorious for dumping sewage dozens of times a year.

District officials say the solution not only improves water quality but also protects the reputation of Edgewater Park, which draws nearly two million annual visitors.

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