How relationships have protected our waterways, helped residents, and strengthened our region — Whether working regionally or locally, protecting water quality is a community benefit we can all support. Our work as a regional district has relied on collaboration and cooperation with member communities, partners, and customers to achieve our mission for 50 years — the last 10 of which have seen a…

Managing a 476-mile regional stormwater network while understanding our environment’s past, present, and future — We’ve never been “just a sewer utility.” The Court Entry that created us in 1972 authorized us to plan, maintain, construct, finance and operate both the regional sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 6119, which governs the District, also authorizes projects such as stream and river bank…

How our latest tunnel project is an anniversary-year story of team strength, soft ground, and public service. — A sunny May morning made for a wonderful start to Infrastructure Week, celebrated with a visit to our Shoreline Storage Tunnel on Cleveland’s east side. Large Tunnel Construction Manager Robert Auber led a tour at the main mining site of our first-ever “soft-ground” tunnel project. The Shoreline Storage Tunnel will…

No one invited us to speak at any commencements this year. So here is the commencement speech no one asked for. — To the graduating class of 2022, good evening. i am honored to be here with you tonight. But as an essential utility service, I’m here to tell you we’ve been with you from the very beginning. (This might get awkward.) From your very first bath and your entire potty-training journey…

Brian’s work on the pipes and pumps of a treatment plant keep millions of gallons of water moving. Just like him. — Brian Bunjevac is a man who can’t sit still. “When I go home from here, I’ll take a shower, eat dinner, and then head right out to the garage to work on my Harleys or tear apart a lawnmower,” he said. “I go to bed at…

Once a pipe dream back in the 1960s, actual pipes and many programs ever since have the Cuyahoga River and lakefront reborn for recreation. — Fishing, sailing, and many other recreational activities benefit from easy access to these freshwater resources. It’s a large part of what makes our city unique. Our regional economy is tied to Lake Erie, the lakefront, and the entire Lake Erie watershed. But, as old photographs, video footage, and oral history…

It’s 1974 and Bob could tell you what industries were dumping into sewers just by the color and smell. He’s a man of many stories, and his pages are still being written. — Few staff have had as long and varied a Sewer District career as Easterly Superintendent Bob Bonnett. “I have all kinds of stories.” Bonnett got his start in wastewater in 1973, as a summer student with the City of Cleveland’s Water Quality Laboratory. …

What began with waterfront walks and optometry now has Sabrina protecting the very lake and views she loves so much. — Sabrina Winkfield didn’t know much about what goes into treating wastewater, although she did grow up with a love of Lake Erie. “Most Saturdays my family would go to the lake and end up at Captain Frank’s on the East 9th Street Pier for ice cream,” she said. In high…

Kate’s strengths have always drawn her towards service, not the spotlight. But with a story like hers, she shines a light all her own. — Kate Rybarczyk came to the Sewer District knowing nothing about wastewater treatment. “I don’t know who does before they come here, really,” she said. Like many young adults coming out of high school, Rybarczyk didn’t have a clear career direction. …