Waterloo Sites Featured in US EPA Tour

On Sunday, Oct. 26, more than 50 people visited the Waterloo Neighborhood to learn more about the stormwater management practices in place at two area parking lots, Azure Stained Glass and Outdoor Theatre lots.

The visitors, representing more than 30 communities across the country, were in Cleveland for the US EPA’s Second Community Summit (GI Summit) on Green Infrastructure. Waterloo was one of five tour stops showcasing best practices in green infrastructure throughout Greater Cleveland.

The Azure lot, located at East 156 St. and Waterloo Rd., has 21 parking spaces and artistically integrates bioretention features to capture and filter pollutants from the surrounding parking lot. This highly visible space includes educational signage along Waterloo Rd.

The Outdoor lot, located at the eastern end of the Waterloo Road District, has 30 parking spaces and features a bioswale, infiltration basin and meadow with native grasses. In addition, stormwater-friendly pervious concrete drains the traditional asphalt parking spaces allowing runoff to migrate to the infiltration basin where it is cleansed further before soaking into the native soils below.

“The Sewer District recognizes the importance of local initiatives to construct rain gardens, bioretention features, and other site-based stormwater management practices,” said Rachel Webb, Watershed Team Leader at NEORSD who coordinated the tour.  “We have great partners and want  to support the implementation of these projects.”

These projects were made possible with grant funding from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's Small-Scale Stormwater Demonstration Grant Program. In 2012, Northeast Shores received a total of $71,117 for several area projects; $23,453 of that was for the Azure lot and $24,097 was for the Outdoor lot.  In addition to Sewer District funding, additional financial support was provided by US EPA, Ohio EPA and Cleveland Economic Development.