Euclid Creek Tunnel Projects kicks off

On the windy morning of April 20th, the The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Euclid Creek Tunnel at the Sewer District’s Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Euclid Creek Tunnel is a $197 million project that will capture combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, drastically reducing raw sewage that enters our waterways during heavy storms. Construction is scheduled to begin on Euclid Creek Tunnel in April, 2011, and will continue for four years. It is anticipated that water quality at Euclid Beach State Park, Wildwood State Park, and Euclid Creek will dramatically improve with completion of this project.

Cleveland Ward 11 Councilman Michael D. Polensek said, “I want to thank the board of the Sewer District for making this difficult decision. This project is much needed for the protection of the environment and will dramatically improve the neighborhood.”

Two additional large-scale construction projects will be integrated with the Euclid Creek Tunnel. The Tunnel Dewatering Pump Station is an $80 million project that will pump sewage out of the storage tunnel to the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment. Upon completion of the Euclid Creek Tunnel, the Sewer District will begin construction on the Dugway Storage Tunnel, which will further reduce combined sewer overflows in the area.

“When all three projects are complete, one billion gallons of combined sewage will be captured each year and not discharged into Lake Erie,” said Kellie Rotunno, Director of Engineering and Construction, NEORSD. “Projects such as this not only benefit the environment, but Clevelanders are put to work and the local economy benefits as well.”

Brian Friedman is the Executive Director of Northeast Shores.