The way this was timed, right after Cleveland failed to pass EPA standards as expected for River Day to-dos, when there was the most global attention on the Cuyahoga... 40th Anniversary... it seemed planned. And the way the PD reported it was like the culprit did us a favor... perhaps an advance favor for any big GCP Members or PD advertisers that may be found responsible....

But, the oil is I suppose organic so caused no real environmental harm, and the Gulls get in the way at Indians games so the more dead the better (that's what the PD said, ZM). It was like it was planned to do something that seemed horrific but in the end most people write off as acceptable losses... positive change.

It does seem it would be hard to trace and even if it was, how serious is the crime of pouring cooking oil down a drain?

Just a thought...?!?!

Disrupt IT

 

Grease from deep fryers; I would suspect; I believe you have to change that grease periodically. Then it should be collected and reprocessed? Some restaurants have collection containers, they look like small trash dumpsters.

If you deep fry you should have a record of the grease changes, and that for the health department. Then for validations and for obvious environmental reasons you should have collection service for the grease. It would or could be weekly or monthly?

That’s all theoretical, the grease purchased it is a business expense and tax deductible. Then the cost of disposal also a business expense. The variation in reality is in your arteries, as some is absorbed in the food.

So then all those that buy and then must dispose of should be required to keep records. Not just for cooking oil, other things as well such as certain chemicals and solvents.

It gets me all the culverts get me, seems like any natural water shed and it's ravine were destroyed in the city. What kills me is that they dis not have to be, section by section the system needs to be rebuilt. Inside drains should not lead to a natural water shed. Storm drains need to be day lighted and a natural water shed constructed.

It is interesting because the human waste is actually a good source of fuel, it is breaking down and give off methane gas. It is a potential power source, the run off needs to be held in reservoirs. Those and connected to wet lands that allow natural filtration. The culverts are disgusting man made objects of destruction, people are still insisting that the drains be hidden underground. They need to be open and allow natural absorption and evaporation.

They really need to look closer at Kingsbury what it was and what it became. It is a sewer that lead to the main river that lead directly to the lake. They want to clean the river and the lake then they have to address Kingsbury, Mill Creek, Big Creek, Doan Creek and other tributaries that they converted to sewers. Those in a society that had more foresight and wisdom; would be parks and natural green valleys. It’s a ravine not good for anything else…make it a scrap yard?

Let the trees grow so wild around you, grow so high to touch the sky, like humility you win when you loose.

 

  Oengus--some days, I almost have to like you :)
 

It gets me all the culverts get me, seems like any natural water shed and it's ravine were destroyed in the city. What kills me is that they dis (sic) not have to be, section by section the system needs to be rebuilt. Inside drains should not lead to a natural water shed. Storm drains need to be day lighted and a natural water shed constructed.

  "A number of things just don't add up," said Frank Foley, director of environmental services for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. "Yes, we're investigating our own sewer, but we're also going forward with the possibility that it came from somewhere else -- we just don't know where."
 

This is not an unsolvable mystery---

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/07/ohio_epa_northeast_ohio_sewer.html

  Kingsbury Run is a buried creek that runs for much of the way along the Red line tracks on the east side of Cleveland.

CSO #40 outfall is indicated as on the east side of the Cuyahoga River approximately 100' north of Jefferson Ave.  It's probably easiest to see from the west side of the river.  See the great map archived at the University of Texas (!)--in comments here:

http://www.gcbl.org/water/rivers/cuyahoga-river-and-tributaries/kinsbury-run

Not to pick on GCBL...(alright, I am picking on them)...but why are they not picking up this story?? Or providing any follow-up to the recent storm/sanitary disaster right outside their doorstep in University Circle?? 

If you visit the Natural History Museum, ask someone to show you the manhole cover inside their building, which provides access to the sewer buried under Wade Oval...the amount of water gushing through is audible even in dry weather.

How could that be addressed? Link to Google maps: 'Kingsbury Run Park'

 

 

View Larger Map

 

 

Could the method of draining roads be day lighted, a trench not a pipe. Maybe grates over it? All that is rain water directed into retaining areas that then over flow into a naturalized ravine? From my perspective, I think of the area as Newburg Township. To me it is the best method for regional planning. Sectionalizing the county and then addressing within each district. I define Newburg as everything from Cedar as the north border and then I-480 as the south border, East of 55th to 116th. Its biggest asset is the rail corridor, it biggest detriment would be the Kingsbury culvert. If one was to say lets address it, then what approach should be used? 1) A comprehensive rail study. (commercial and commuter) 2) A study of the sewer systems.  My goals would be well balanced land use, and redevelopment to better define industry, commercial and residential spaces. It is feeder to rail and the proposed port relocation at 55th and access to the interstate is optimal on that corridor. It is also the foot of the Heights bluff and part of the Cuyahoga valley. Extending Shaker Blvd to meet I-490, bringing concentrated housing and commerce to that, also defining a natural ravine to connect to the river. That’s about the residential and commercial and park spaces. The aspect of industrial should be defined, clustering around the corridor at 55th and the junction of the interstates. The other aspect are a smart power grid, and communication networks, water lines and gas lines. Each district as defined as townships around a smaller central core metropolitan district. Newburg, Brooklyn and East Cleveland are the inner ring districts.

A palatable way to become one region is on paper first, with maps and visuals.

Each municipality will retain its independent identity and systems.

The defining of the districts first and not for political reasons, but to be able to begin to establish universal sets of relational data on capital flows.

That would allow testing alternatives, that’s about economy of scale when it applies. It is about combining only when it is universally of benefit and can be seen in the data.

 

It a process and must begin at the roots, the building block are people and the land they exist on, you and me on a parcel. Income less taxes, then were does it go? Household metrics and then parcel metrics, were I live and were I work. The transportation networks, the public works.

Different municipalities, with different rates. There is such a thing as economy of scale, can I please have complete set of data? Because then I can run optimization models on it.

You know Parma has 90,000 residents and Parma Heights has less than twenty, is it really better to have at least two of everything? In the district model they could merge and become one district and have a seat on regional council…they could say hey if you loan us some money we can improve our metrics.

You know if you want to do a favor for a friend then give your friend in government a better deal, not your friend in government giving you more than they should. It comes back on all of us, we all are paying for the excess and the waste.

Each district should have at least 10% of its land as restricted from cars, that being a walking section. That interesting because then rail becomes important not only for commuters but also for commerce. Getting good in without trucks. That’s about small trams, think Disney world.

That requires central warehousing, selling into them and then buying out of them.

They need for comprehensive maps and related layering, CAD drawings of infrastructure.

Planning has to have that, it has to be comprehensive and universal I would suggest layering it onto satellite maps. If I had my way I get Google mapping people here and empower them. To layer the maps and them link them to data bases. That’s a comprehensive software application system to support regional government and it fiscal interfaces with intergovernmental. What goes to the State and Federal and then what returns.

It is about defining the optimum system at the regional level in manageable districts. They would have autonomous budgets and then track and apply both State and federal funds. It about better defining roles and responsibilities.

Then they can tell us what Dennis’s and Marcia’s roles are and the eleven state congressionalist’s, I am dieing to know! Having a regional government would make us a louder voice and if we are revolutionary we can channel that into the houses in Washington and Columbus.

We could say just give us the votes we do not need all the seats. Cut your costs you running deficits.

  Jeff--Call Wayne Bratton at Trident Marine...chances are he has seen this type of spill before from Kingsbury Run...he knows the Cuyahoga River better than anyone.

1800 Scranton Rd, Cleveland, OH

 

Contact Phone:   Business Category: Industry (SIC):

(216) 771-2628

Water Transport Services in Cleveland, OH

Water Transportation Services, NEC

 Also Cuyahoga County Board of Health should have records of restaurants or any facility storing large quantities of cooking oil.

  I am glad that for once, the PD is not killing an environmental story, but is following up.