What is the deal? If you have ever stopped at a red light near any sewer grate downtown or on the near west side of Cleveland, then you are with me here! I can barely breathe! I admit that my sense of smell seem hyper sensitive since I quit smoking, but still-sometimes this town STINKS! I have lived in a lot of places. I even worked for 3 weeks in Manhattan, during a garbage strike, in a drought. That is the only thing that begins to compete with the foul smell that emanates from our sewer grates here. The thing is it comes around during dry spells, shortly after a rain, even in the cooler days of fall and spring.
If you were out and about on the beaches this weekend, then you probably saw the signs warning swimmers of contamination. That is because the storms that rolled in on Saturday morning were so fast and hard that the sewer system backed up and overflowed into the lake. I don’t know about you, but my image of a green city on a blue lake doesn’t include the passing floating sewage.
Our sewers are old. Very old. In fact, some portions of the sewer system (even some of the water mains-I hear) are practically original to the city. They simply were not built to last 150 years, or to handle the amount of storm water runoff and people generated water waste of a city this size. Furthermore, there are so many pressing issues that are facing Cleveland, that we are really only fixing small portions at a time, rather than attempting the entire system.
What can be done? First off, we need to start thinking about what we can do as residents and small business owners. Disconnect your downspouts. Install rain gardens and rain barrels. This allows the first initial rush of storm water (the big part that overloads the systems) to be handled on the property and reduces the impact on the system. Secondly, reduce the amount of water that you use. Wash your car less. Flush less. Conserve water by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth and shave. Wash full loads of clothes only and use a water efficient washing machine: our front load washer uses a fraction of the water that our old top loader used and the clothes are cleaner! Think about including pavers with spaces in your next project. This will allow more rainwater to enter the ground than concrete, reducing the impact of rainfall.
Why bother? First off, it is good for the city. The less impact on the system, the less we need to worry about our taxes going to repair infrastructure. Secondly, it is good for the environment. Less sewage overflows is better for the lake and environs. Pollution in run off is reduced, as rainwater can be handled on site. Rain captured in rain gardens and rain barrels means less water usage for irrigation. Lastly, it is good for your health and pocketbook. The less pollutants in the watershed, the less water needs to be treated. The more rainwater is handled on site, the less heavy metals and other stuff to worry about in our water supply. The more water we salvage from rain, the less our water and sewer bills will amount to. It is a simple economic question!
Tags: Cleveland, conservation, Go Green, water
I agree and wish I had done more and people in my little city here had done more before the EPA stepped in. We are now working towards bankruptsy because of the regulations of the EPA towards our terribly old sewer systems. Once the EPA steps in, you don’t get a choice, if only we could have done it ourselves years ago.
About two years ago here we disconnected the downspouts and pre-formed trenches at the end of my parking lot pushes water to the yards instead of into the street, it’s a bit of a mess from time to time, but the storm sewer works better now.
So that’s what that smell was about. We live a few blocks from Edgewater and it’s been pretty bad at times.
Rain barrels is a great idea. I’ll have to do more research for more ‘visually attractive’ options.
There are plenty of pretty options, but you are likely to pay for them. One of the most affordable decorative options is the flat back whiskey barrel option from shopping.com. I found one at Yardiac.com that had a planter on the top. I would think that if you are creative and willing to put in a little effort, you could make your own, sand the outside and paint it in the color of your home so that is “disappears” and then if you have the right size, could make your own planter to fit on top…