On the Importance of Sewers
By Diana Simeon
Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about sewers. Sure, we know they’re
there somewhere. But the system is mostly out of sight, out of mind. Right?
The City’s Public Works Department on the other hand, spends a lot of
time thinking about – and working on – the City’s sewers. Over the past five
years, the City has spent more than $13 million maintaining and repairing this
critical infrastructure. In 2014, a “50-year” rainstorm hit Shaker Heights, causing
widespread flooding, in part because the City’s decades old sewer system was
overwhelmed by the volume of water produced by the storm. It was clear that the
sewer system was in need of attention.
“Most systems are designed to last for 50 years,” explains Patricia Speese,
the City’s director of public works. “Our sewers are 100 years old in some areas.”
Modernizing
a Historic
City
2nd FLOOR
1st FLOOR
BASEMENT
BATHTUB
TOILET
SINKS
GUTTER
DOWNSPOUT
TEST TEES
CATCH BASIN
WITH TRAP
SANITARY LATERAL
PUBLIC
SANITARY
SEWER
PUBLIC
STORM
SEWER
SIDEWALK
STORM LATERAL
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