A new project to upgrade the sewer system in Lomond/Sussex uses green infrastructure methods, providing benefits to residents and the environment alike.

By Michael Peters

Mature trees on Lomond Blvd in Shaker Heights

One of the enduring legacies of the planning that went into Shaker Heights is the canopy of thousands of mature trees. That planning also included the parks, streets, and – underneath the streets – the water and sewer lines. An infrastructure project in the Lomond and Sussex neighborhoods is piloting a new approach to how we think about what’s both above and below our streets. Just as homeowners need to upgrade their old pipes, the City is responsible for doing the same with the sewers that were installed in most parts of the City in the 1910s.

As Director of Public Works Patricia Speese explains, those original sewers were designed to last for roughly 50 years. Public Works has an ongoing program to repair, renovate, and in some places upgrade this critical infrastructure. In the past decade, the City has spent approximately $9 million on sewer maintenance and repair.

“The quality of workmanship in the original sewer infrastructure is second to none,” notes Speese. “But like our Shaker homes, this infrastructure is more than 100 years old and needs attention. This is why we are working systematically through the City to perform these improvements.”

The heavier rainfall the City has experienced in the last decade, combined with the age of many of the sewers, has led to periodic flooding in some areas. This has resulted in two signifi cant issues: the impact on residents and their homes, and the more frequent discharges of untreated waste into the environment as the sewers overfl ow. The Lomond/ Sussex sewer replacement project aims to address both of these issues while also protecting the neighborhood trees that absorb a signifi cant amount of rainfall.

The Past: Early Sewer Engineering

Water and flooding have long been a concern in the Lomond and Sussex neighborhoods; history provides clues as to why.
As it meanders through the neighborhoods, Lomond Boulevard roughly follows the path of a stream bed that ran through the area when it was farmland. Land speculators who purchased these properties created East View Village, which encompassed portions of what today are the Onaway, Moreland, Lomond, and Sussex neighborhoods.

By 1914 the Onaway and northern Moreland areas had been incorporated into the Village of Shaker Heights. The Lomond and Sussex neighborhoods became part of Shaker in 1919. All of this activity required planning and engineering work, and in Shaker it coincided with significant advances in how wastewater was conveyed and treated.

The City of Cleveland was extending its water and sewer lines, and this was a strong enticement for townships and other villages to agree to be annexed. Shaker Heights elected to pay to join the Cleveland system rather than be annexed. As lots were created along the new streets, the water and sewer infrastructure was also installed. However, these were the early days of sewer engineering and not all sewers were designed in the same way. Many of the early sewers combined the storm and sanitary flows, or had cross-connections to handle sudden inflows from storms. CSOs – or combined sewer overflows – and SSOs (sanitary sewer overflows) discharge the entire flow into a river or lake if they are overwhelmed. This was a common early sewer design, and is how the East View Village sewers were originally co structed.

“Like our Shaker homes, this infrastructure is more than 100 years old and needs attention.”

As Cleveland grew during the 1800s, water was being extracted from Lake Erie while at the same time untreated sewage was being dumped into it, often in close proximity. The predictable consequences led to changes that separated intakes and outflows. One of the first major projects to improve the sewers was the Easterly Interceptor in 1905. This collected wastewater along a stretch of Cleveland’s East Side before it made it to the lake’s shoreline and diverted it to a central discharge point. This point would become the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant. Today the majority of wastewater generated in Shaker is processed at the Easterly Treatment Plant.

In the early 1900s, sewer construction generally meant that trenches were dug, sometimes by hand, and large clay pipes were connected together. Small diameter pipes were then branched off to connect houses and buildings to these larger pipes. One common original design in Shaker and other communities was the “over-under,” which was efficient to install because it only required one trench for both the sanitary and storm sewers. But problems can arise when the sanitary sewer gets overwhelmed because of infiltration and cross connections, and spills into the storm mains. The result is an “SSO event,” where untreated sewage ends up in bodies of water.

Furthermore, over time the connections can be compromised by tree roots or crushed by heavy loads on the surface. These factors, along with additional housing development and leaks from one set of pipes to the other, led to sewers that were not able to handle the peak flows of storms. The result is like a dam – the water has to go somewhere, and sometimes that somewhere is into basements.

The Future: Innovative Sewer Engineering

To address these issues and the overall age of the system, improvements have been made for decades. Throughout the City, portions of the over-under design have been replaced with separate lines, often by building a larger stormwater system to replace the “over” and keeping sanitary in the “under.”

The clay pipe has also been replaced with concrete or PVC that is more durable and allows for tighter connections to keep out tree roots and infiltration. The City also uses a newer process to reline the inside of older pipes that may leak, but are otherwise in good condition.

The legacy East View Village sewers are the largest remaining system requiring this upgrade, which is exactly what they’re scheduled for, beginning next summer

“This seals all the joints and prevents infiltration between the sanitary and storm sewers,” explains Speese.

These separate systems are now also managed through dedicated interconnections and storage tunnels to eliminate the majority of CSO events. All of this, of course, takes time and money. So while Shaker has eliminated many of the connections that could lead to SSO events, there remain a few areas still requiring updating.

The legacy East View Village sewers are the largest remaining system requiring this upgrade, which is exactly what they’re scheduled for, beginning next summer. (Residents can get updates on construction schedules at shakeronline.com/construction.) Gridley Triangle Park is at the epicenter of the upgrade. It’s at the heart of the Lomond and Sussex neighborhoods, and is bordered by Gridley and Sherrington roads and Lomond Boulevard, and filled with mature trees.

Gridley Triangle Park in Shaker Heights

Gridley Triangle Park in Shaker Heights

These streets also cover a tangled web of water mains, sewer lines, and natural gas pipes. Nearly every street in Shaker Heights has a combination of these utilities, but some have smaller diameter sewers leading to larger sewers that collect the water and waste from a branching network. Sherrington is home to one of the larger collector pipes that eventually makes its way to the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In times of heavy rainfall, however, the sewer line under Sherrington connects to a Combined Sewer Overflow around Palmerston Road. This leads to Kingsbury Run and eventually the Cuyahoga River. To reduce the chances of a SSO event, a new 36-inch sewer line will be installed along Sherrington from Palmerston to Gridley. New water lines will be replaced at the same time.

In total, these rehabilitated sections will serve 250 acres of the City and improve the conditions for roughly 1,200 properties.

While residents will be able to access their driveways, traffic will be reduced or redirected for the safety of residents and the construction crews. Another section of new sewer will start at Gridley Road, pass along the edge of the park, and then follow Lomond to Lynnfield. This will be done in an innovative way. Recognizing the importance of mature trees in rainwater management, this section will be constructed by drilling horizontally from a series of four pits dug into the ground. This is expected to significantly reduce damage to the tree roots along the path and is part of the green infrastructure method the project will use.

A second section of existing sewer along this stretch of Lomond will be rehabilitated and connect to a new section of 18-inch sewer along Lynnfield. Like Sherrington, a trench will be cut into Lynnfield, restricting some traffic for part of the construction process. In total, these rehabilitated sections will serve 250 acres of the City and improve the conditions for roughly 1,200 properties.

These improvements will reduce the frequency of CSO events and alleviate much of the flooding the neighborhood has experienced, providing benefits to residents and the environment alike

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Rain barrelShaker’s sewer project engineers recognize that extreme rainfall is likely to continue due to climate change. Residents can help ease the burden on sewers, much the same as we make energy-efficiency improvements in our homes.

  1. Go Low Flow

Homeowners can install low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets, which also reduce water and sewer bills. And while original toilets from the 1920s can be aesthetically appealing, they can also use seven times the amount of water per flush. For the really ambitious, or those doing a fulL bathroom renovation, you can install a graywater system that re-uses the drain water from your sink and shower for flushing the toilet.

2. Divert Stormwater

An average 1,200 square-foot roof generates approximately 750 gallons of water during a 1-inch rainfall. This water can be captured in rain barrels or a cistern and used for plants and lawns.

Residents can create rain gardens in their yard to capture water (including from disconnected downspouts). Several organizations can help with resources and designs, including the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership.

3. Maintain & Upgrade Your Sewer Pipes

While the pipes inside a home are obviously the homeowner’s (or the landlord’s) responsibility, this responsibility extends to the two sewer lines outside (laterals) that connect to the City sewers. The sanitary lateral connects sinks, toilets, and showers to the sanitary sewer, while the storm lateral connects gutters, downspouts, and foundation drains to the storm sewer.

Laterals are the original clay pipes installed when the home was built. Over the years, they may become broken, clogged, or infiltrated with tree roots. Broken or leaky laterals can result in seepage between the pipes, so it is recommended residents have them inspected and cleaned every three to five years.

Replacing these sewer pipes is critical for flood prevention and ensuring that sanitary waste gets to the treatment plant. Making investments today will have long-lasting benefits, and many of the steps you can take at home can also save you money. It’s another investment in sustainability that’s a win for everyone.

Originally published in Shaker Life, Summer 2022.