Sewer district releases details on pending EPA agreement and sewer rate hike

CLEVELAND - The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District released details on its pending agreement with the U.S. EPA.

The agreement calls for nearly $3 billion in required sewer improvements over the next 25 years, improvements sewer officials said, must be made to meet requirements demanded by the federal Clean Water Act.

If approved by the sewer district board, the EPA agreement will likely produce a 13 to 15 percent annual sewer rate hike over the first 7 to 10 years.  

Details of the EPA agreement can be found on the Northeast Ohio regional Sewer District website at this address www.neorsd.org/cleanlake

"The district is in violation of federal law because it continues to dump 4.5 billion gallons of untreated sewage into Lake Erie," said sewer district executive director Julius Ciaccia. "In the past 10 years, 2 billion in improvements have cut the amount of sewage dumped in to the lake in half, but more improvements need to be made.

Concerned residents have already voiced their concerns about the proposed sewer rate increase during a series of public hearings. Three additional public hearings on the pending hike are scheduled for next week.

The sewer district board could vote on the EPA agreement as early as Dec. 2.

The remaining public meetings concerning the pending rate increase will take place at the following locations:

• 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 16, Gunning Recreation Center, 16700 Puritas Avenue, Cleveland
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 17, Memorial Hall, 6617 Ridge Road, Parma
• 12:30 p.m. Thursday, November 18, Northeast Ohio Sewer District Headquarters, 3900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland