A rainwater retention facility in Cleveland represents a small step forward with a controversial 25-year, $3 billion plan to clean Lake Erie.
"Officials on Monday unveiled the first of a series of ''green' projects that use natural landscaping, rather than underground pipes, to absorb rainwater and help reduce sewage overflows into Lake Erie," reports Andrew J. Tobias.
The so-called "Project Clean Lake" [pdf] would implement a federal consent decree requiring the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District to reduce the total volume of raw sewage discharges from 4.5 billion gallons to 494 million gallons annually. The sewer district's proposed plans to meet the requirements of the consent decree have provoked opposition from stakeholders and the media who prefer a "cheaper, greener" approach.
The recently revealed project makes use of three sites in the "foreclosure-blighted" Slavic Village neighborhood by installing "a man-made basin designed to collect and absorb rain water that otherwise would flow into sewers," according to Tobias.
"Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District officials envision the projects as a component of their $3 billion effort to dig giant underground storage tunnels to keep storm runoff from flooding sewers and sending untreated sewage into Lake Erie." This component of the plan cost $338,000, but another 10 projects are already planned, with a pricetag of $82 million.
FULL STORY: First 'green' sites unveiled in $3 billion effort to keep sewage out of Lake Erie
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Offshore Wind Lands on Lake Erie
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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