Today in the PD, you can read about what we knew was coming in the news from NEORSD [1].
What I don’t get is why NEORSD insists on treating all the stormwater – the water that runs off our roofs and into the aging storm sewers and combined sewers doesn’t need to be treated. NEORSD should be encouraging reductions in the amount of stormwater they have to treat. Roof water should be able to flow directly onto lawns in residential neighborhoods as it does in most cities. Most cities have asked citizens to disconnect their downspouts and divert roof water to their lawns, or in wetter areas to rain barrels or rain gardens. In Boston, they will do the disconnection for you if you don’t do it yourself – free of charge. They don’t want the expense of treating all that roof water. In Ann Arbor, you have to have a permit to be connected to the sewer. Why are we insistent on paying more to treat water that does not need to be treated?
How much water flows through those gutters and downspouts to the sewer you’re wondering… In a 1 inch rainfall, 700 gallons runs off a 1200 sq ft roof.
Here [2] is just one example among many for cities in North America that suggest or require diversion of roof water from the storm sewers.
Now we have the summer sprinkling program that offers a discount for lawn sprinkling water use because it does not go into the sewer. How about a discount for diverted roof drains or downspouts or rain water harvesting?
They (NEORSD Board) appear to be wringing their hands about massive increases to their own work, work force development without federal aid where the cost is passed on to the consumer. But as usual in Northeast Ohio, the citizen, average consumer is knee capped, unable to help the system or himself; waiting, if you will, for some patriarch, some feudal lord to tell him how to solve the problem.
Now is a great time to get all the weekend warriors in line with downspout elbows and splash pads at local hardware stores. Now is the time to see the really truly determined homeowners building rain gardens and installing rain barrels. It is time now for Northeast Ohioans to realize that we live in a watershed, and that we all need to begin thinking about how we can help to conserve not just our cash, but our precious water resources as well.
Problem is; it is against building code to disconnect your downspout in Cleveland and most municipalities in Northeast Ohio. Are we living in the dark ages?!!??
People say to me, “I’ll flood my neighbor’s basement”. But, if they do it in most other major cities and many smaller ones, too, then shouldn’t we add it to the mix of EPA Best Management Practices we are implementing for stormwater planning? It isn’t going to fix the problem and will only divert some water from the storm drains (and not the dastardly nitrate rich runoff that is killing the lake), but it is a means to educate residents about their watershed. It is a way to involve citizens in making a better future for the region.
Let’s stop wringing our hands and get on with our education! Stop trying to fix every issue with top down measures and let the innovation bubble up from the grassroots.
And this…
What’s wrong with this picture?
Portage County:
Cleveland will sell them water
read about that here on GCBL [3].
Why? Is the aquifer drained from all the overzealous pumping?
Meanwhile…
“Windham to pay $10,000 penalty to Ohio EPA
Windham, a village in Portage County, will pay a $10,000 penalty to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for violating the Clean Water Act. A recently completed sewer line should prevent more problems, the OEPA said in a news release. An old, smaller line allowed sewage to back up into homes and businesses and spewed sewage into the south fork of Eagle Creek, the environmental agency said.--Donna J. Miller, djmiller [at] plaind [dot] com”
How about rewarding good behavior in the civic space? Cleveland might have had the opportunity to leverage their water resources, when agreeing to sell water to Portage County. It appears we may not “get” the value of our most precious natural resource in the region – H2O.