Advertise on podcast: Clean Water Works

Send us Fan Mail One careless shovel strike can turn a home project into a power outage or emergency situation, but it's easy to avoid! We sit down with Community Discharge Permit Program Specialist Rob Stoerkel to discuss Ohio 811—also known as OUPS, the “call before you dig” service that keeps homeowners, contractors, and field crews from hitting underground utility lines. We also talk about the helpful systems that make this work, including Geographic Information System mapping, blueprint review, and coordination across multiple utilities and communities.

Send us Fan Mail Pouring grease down the kitchen sink seems harmless until the day the drain slows to a crawl. Joe Boziak, a master plumber with decades in the trade, handles all of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s plumbing needs. We discuss fats, oils, and greases (FOG), how they can mess up your pipes, and why the old “just run hot water” advice can make the buildup worse.  Home-plumbing maintenance consists of low-cost moves like saving cooking grease in a can, feeding a garbage disposal slowly with cold water running, and a quick test for toilet leaks. If you care about avoiding clogs—and keeping our sewer shared infrastructure running smooth, this episode is a must listen!

Send us Fan Mail UPDATE: This episode was recorded on July 1, 2026. On July 21, Ohio EPA announced it will NOT finalize a proposed general permit for data centers. For additional information on this please visit Ohio EPA's website. ********** ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE seems to be everywhere. Whether we're using a chatbot, saving files to the cloud, or asking Google a question, we're relying on infrastructure that's largely invisible to us: data centers. As demand for AI and cloud computing accelerates, so do questions about the resources needed to support this digital economy—resources like water!  We were very interested in bringing some light to this hot-button topic in this, our first virtual episode, featuring a panel of guests from Central Ohio, Virginia, and Washington D.C.  Dr. Landon Marston is an Associate Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research group looks at how and where water is used within the economy as well as the environmental consequences associated with economic production and consumption.   John Newsome is Administrator of the Division of Water at Columbus Water and Power and has served with the city’s Department of Public Utilities since 2006. We’ve asked John to give CWP’s perspective on this emerging technology and water demands in Central Ohio, a national hub for data centers.   Also with CWP, Sarah Bloom Anderson serves as Assistant Director of Policy and shares some information from the wastewater side: what happens to the water used to cool the servers in data centers.   And Dr. Peter Grevatt is CEO of the Water Research Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization in Washington D.C. which funds and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, water reuse, and stormwater systems. Peter discusses current research projects the WRF is supporting.  Utility Perspectives on Data Center Survey Dr. Marston's team at Virginia Tech, in partnership with WRF and the American Water Works Association, is conducting a survey among water and wastewater utilities regarding data centers. If you would like to participate, follow this link.

Send us Fan Mail Concrete channels, buried creeks, and straightened streams simplified urban development but decades later we see the side effects: faster water, steeper channels, collapsing streambanks, and pollution.  Manager of Stormwater Design Kristen Buccier and Project Manager Denis Zaharija explain the benefits of more recent, holistic stream design methods.  A stream is a living system seeking stability. Denis and Kristen discuss hydrology and hydraulics, how a stream's bends (or "meanders") dissipate energy, and how riffles and pools create habitat for fish and aquatic bugs. We also learn how “flashy” stormwater volumes can overwhelm streams and how designers work to bring resiliency back to those impacted waterways.

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Mark Christie, Director of Cuyahoga County's Office of Emergency Management, about severe weather in Northeast Ohio, damage assessments, and how recovery decisions get made fast. Mark gives some tips on preparing for hazards during thunderstorms, tornadoes, winter storms, and flooding that hits both rivers and basements, with info on ReadyNotify and the federal IPAWS system and a simple preparedness plan you can follow before the next storm hits.

Send us Fan Mail Mike and Donna report from the 19th annual Ohio Stormwater Conference in Sandusky, OH. The day's presentations touch on education, stormwater modeling and maintenance, and funding, and demonstrate how design choices and policy decisions can ripple across entire communities.  Our guests include: Erica Matheny, Tinker's Creek Watershed Partners Refka Abroug, Tinker's Creek Watershed Partners  Jesse Rufner, GPD Group Jack Caruso, Cleveland Metroparks Joey Smith, Ohio State University Tony Burgoyne, OHM Advisors Topics discussed: The Tinkers Creek Watershed Partners’ new strategic plan and illustrated watershed mapping Water scarcity, pollution, and access to clean drinking water in Northern AfricaAn East Cleveland project that ties together water lines, roadways, and sewer improvementsAntecedent moisture modelingExtreme storms, risk tools, and what “reasonable” infrastructure can handleMosquito science in stormwater control measuresStacking funding sources and building coalitions through policy roundtablesFor more information on the Ohio Stormwater Conference, visit tinkerscreek.org

Send us Fan Mail April is National Native Plant Month, and in this episode we talk with Sustainability Specialist Kevin Harrison and Paul Kovalcik of our Stormwater Inspection & Maintenance (SWIM) department, unpacking what defines a "native plant" and why they matter for water quality and habitat. We talk about how native species support pollinators, and why losing host plants can impact the entire food web. We connect native landscaping to the Sewer District's stormwater management and stream-restoration projects, and explain how invasive species can take over when nothing has co-evolved to keep them in check. Our guests offer tips on how to choose the right tree for the right place, when to plant, and why starting small is the best advice for building a low-stress native garden.  Other resources: NRCS - Natural Resources Conservation Service, a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency that provides a "PLANTS" (Plant List of Attributes, Names, Taxonomy, and Symbols) database with automated tools, weblinks, and references. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Cleveland Metroparks Tree Selector Tool - Enter in various site attributes for guidance on tree species selection for any type of planting project.    https://treeselector-clevelandmetroparks.com/tree-selector  Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners - Courtesy of Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, this manual outlines rain garden terms and definitions, recommendations for creating the right garden for your property, and important diagrams and planting instructions.  https://www.neorsd.org/Stormwater%20Form/landing%20page/2007_rain_garden_manual.pdf

Send us Fan Mail A fallen log in a stream can serve as beneficial fish habitat or pose a flood hazard. Stormwater inspectors Kelsey Hickox and Andriana Hayes explain what Stormwater Inspection and Maintenance (SWIM) looks like and why the Sewer District pays so much attention to creeks, culverts, and stormwater basins. We also discuss urgent storm response and why field verification matters for our stormwater modeling. Plus, practical tips for homeowners to help with their community's stormwater-management efforts.

Send us Fan Mail Rainfall can turn some roads into rivers. Construction Supervisor Joel Hill explains how his team keeps neighborhoods dry using basins, culverts, and stream restoration projects to manage downpours. Joel brings a rare perspective with his decade-plus working on massive tunnel projects and his pivot to the stormwater side of the Sewer District's work. We discuss hydrologic forecasts that shape project designs and stream morphology, and spotlight some local projects in Maple Heights and Parma that have brought relief to once-flooded roadways.  If you care about flood mitigation, resilient infrastructure, and how precise design decisions ripple into safer streets, this conversation offers practical insights and hard-won lessons from the field.

Send us Fan Mail What actually leads a policy idea into becoming a clean-water milestone? We take you behind the scenes with Danielle Giannantonio, Senior Manager of State and Federal Legislative Affairs & Grants at the NEORSD, to map the practical path from bills to budgets to better infrastructure. Danielle shares how a Statehouse page job led to legislative aide work, a crash course in clean-water issues at Ohio EPA, and ultimately a role where relationships, timing, and clarity determine whether good ideas stick. Our conversation dives into PFAS, those "forever chemicals" that water utilities passively receive. We also dig into affordability and make the case for a permanent LIHWAP program to stabilize households and utility operations alike. Danielle's work also tracks policy that touches our utility’s daily mission: employment issues, IT, drones, AI, and more. She walks us through the playbook for proactive advocacy and how trade associations can amplify local voices in D.C. Acronyms used in this episode: LIHWAP - Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, provides funds to assist low-income households with water and wastewater bills. LIHEAP - Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, provides federally funded assistance to reduce the costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs.  PFAS - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances WQIS - Water Quality & Industrial Surveillance

Send us Fan Mail Hey, it's hard to pass up a good pun. Even if we didn't talk much about sewer smells in this episode, we were excited to learn how our legal team moves billion‑dollar water projects forward with strategy, ethics, and empathy. Chief Legal Officer Eric Luckage explains how well‑designed contracts, early risk spotting, and clear and honest conversations with residents help the Sewer District deliver clean water and protect our ratepayers.

Send us Fan Mail Freezing temperatures can test our municipal water systems as well as the pipes inside our homes. Water Commissioner Alex Margevicius explains how the Cleveland Division of Water keeps 1.4 million people supplied with safe drinking water when temperatures plunge and aging water mains face their toughest days of the year.  From Cleveland's offshore water intakes to your homes and businesses, we trace the journey clean water makes and share some simple measures you can take to prevent frozen water lines and damage. Here at the Sewer District, we often talk about the urban water cycle as it pertains to wastewater treatment: from residential use to our treatment plants and back to Lake Erie. Our conversation with Alex continues the water's route back in from the Lake and to our homes. Visit Cleveland Water to learn more about tours, cost-saving programs, and household tips.

Send us Fan Mail A lake that learns can change a region. Sam Martin, Director of Communications and Engagement at Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), shares how Lake Erie has become the world’s largest digitally-connected freshwater test bed—and why that matters for public health, utility costs, and the next wave of water-tech jobs.  Sam walks us through the water economy—everything from maritime logistics and treatment plants to sensing, analytics, and policy—and explains why real-world testing beats lab demos every time. The CWA acts as matchmaker between innovators and end users, backing pilot projects with insurance and support. It makes a compelling case for Cleveland as a freshwater innovation capital.

Send us Fan Mail A new crew of superheroes, the Lake Erie League, is turning everyday systems into comic-book stories for kids and teachers to use in the classroom. Across eight origin tales, these northeast Ohio-inspired characters mirror very real aspects of the Sewer District's work, from massive tunneling machines whose creations tame storm overflows, to a miniaturized lab technician who can detect toxins no human eye could witness. We start with Mackenzie, inspired by the tunnel boring machine behind Project Clean Lake, who illustrates how infrastructure projects matter underground and on the surface. Spectra brings lab science to life with tests that our students can replicate in class, while Rover and Dr. Tao tackle sewer and stream inspections and the microscopic world of water quality. Botanica's story is rooted stream protection, restoration, and sustainability, and Vis and Overwatch round out the Lake Erie League with CSI-style adventures as seen from the field -- and above it. Teachers can request print copies of the new comic book for their classrooms and access the stories and activity sheets at neorsd.org/league. Meet the Lake Erie League creators: Joe Sieracki, writer Miguel Hernandez, illustrator

Send us Fan Mail Art meets infrastructure! The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District partnered with the nonprofit creative-writing center Literary Cleveland to host a reading of "Odes to Infrastructure," a newly-published zine, right in the heart of our Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant. It was a celebration of our essential-yet-often-unseen water systems and, of course, Lake Erie. Standing in the concrete tunnels where our treatment-plant workers normally move about, the Literary Cleveland writers delivered readings of poetry and short stories inspired by our infrastructure and its relationship to a cleaner Lake Erie. The echoing chamber amplified both their voices and the central message: connection. As one writer eloquently put it, "Stories and sewers bind us. They reveal our interconnectedness, our mutual dependence." By bringing writers into treatment plants for tours and workshops Literary Cleveland created a new forum for highlighting our critical work. Here's some photos from the event! Visit Literary Cleveland for more info about workshops and tours.