Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District alerts customers to fee coming in January

CLEVELAND - Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District customers should expect an additional few dollars on their bill starting at the beginning of the year.

On Thursday, sewer officials said they started out sending out more than a quarter of a million letters alerting people of the new charge that will go towards an $35 million annual program to ease flooding.

"Increased stormwater runoff, in terms of volume and how fast it gets to the stream, have caused stream erosion problems that can threaten structures, like bridges infrastructure, sewer pipes, your home and have increased flooding," said Frank Greenland, Director of Watershed Programs. 

"This program is designed to curb the stream flooding issue and to start curbing stream erosion that's threatening property and structures."

The fee is about $5 a month, but less for seniors and low income customers who qualify for assistance. The exact amount is based on the amount of square feet of hard surfaces, which includes roof tops, driveways and patios. The district said that homes that produce more stormwater runoff should contribute more for repairs.

- Tier 1 (properties less than 2,000 square feet): $3.03 a month
- Tier 2 (properties between 2,000 and 3,999 square feet): $5.05 a month
- Tier 3 (properties more than 4,000 square feet): $9.09 a month

For more information, call the sewer district at 216-881-8247.  Or log onto: http://neorsd.org/stormwater