Projects:

EUCLID CREEK WATERSHED PROGRAM

[Photo by John Cozzarin]

The Euclid Creek Watershed Program website is part of an ongoing effort to educate residents in the Euclid Creek watershed about ways to improve this important community resource. The program is supported through the efforts of the Euclid Creek Watershed Council which includes municipal leaders within the communities of Beachwood, Cleveland, Euclid, Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Richmond Heights and South Euclid, Ohio.

Your participation is essential to the future stewardship of this great watershed!

What's on the Homepage (below)

Watershed definition &

Euclid Creek Watershed Information

Watershed News

Watershed Plans

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Watershed Tips

Watershed Brochure, Fact Sheet and Map

What is a watershed?

A watershed is simply the land that water flows across or under on its way to a stream, river, or lake. Our landscape is made up of many interconnected basins or watersheds. Within each watershed, all water runs to the lowest point - a stream, river, or lake. On its way, water travels over the surface and across farm fields, forest land, suburban lawns, and city streets, or it seeps into the soil and travels as ground water.

Where is the Euclid Creek watershed?

The Euclid Creek Watershed is a tributary to Lake Erie and drains an area of approximately 23 square miles from 12 communities in Cuyahoga County and Lake County, Ohio. The watershed is home to an estimated 60,000 people and has subsequently been greatly impacted by urbanization and the effects of urban runoff.

Click on the map for a detailed map of the Euclid Creek Watershed. And please explore the website to learn more about the watershed impairments and ways you can get involved to help the Euclid Creek.

Upcoming Events

Recycle your Phone Books

June 1 through September 30

Euclid Creek Reservation during park hours

(11 additional Metroparks locations)

All phone books will be recycled by a paper mill into new paper products

Volunteer to be a Bin Fairy

If you are interested in volunteering to keep a phone book recycling bin neat and clean (“adopting” a bin) during the campaign - Contact the Solid Waste District at (216) 443-3749 or swdinfo@cuyahogacounty.us. Scout groups, civic organizations, and individuals welcome!

Highland Heights Community Day

Saturday, August 7 time TBD

Highland Heights Community Park

For more information call or email cbru@roadrunner.com or 440-567-7771

Mayfield Heights Community Unity Days

Thur.-Sun, August 19-22 times TBD

City of Mayfield Heights

For more information go to City website

Rain Barrel Workshop—Mayfield Village

Wednesday, August 25 6:30pm-8:00pm

Mayfield Village Community Room

(RAIN BARREL WORKSHOP FULL)

Lyndhurst Homedays

Fri.-Sun., Sept. 10-12 times on website City of Lyndhurst

For more information call or email cbru@roadrunner.com or 440-567-7771

Euclid Creek 2nd Annual Stream Cleanup Event

Saturday, September 11 10:00am-noon

Wildwood State Park, Cleveland

Join us earlier at 9:00am to learn about and help maintain (weeding/trash removal) the new Bioswale / landscaped median.

Contact Claire Posius for more details - 216-524-6580x16

Click here for flyer

Ohio Lake Erie Commission meeting

Euclid Shore Cultural Centre

Wednesday, September 22 10:00am-12:30pm

Shore Cultural Centre (291 E. 222nd Street, 44123)

Family Fun Fest at the Farm - Greenwood Farm

Saturday, September 25 Time TBD

264 Richmond Road, Richmond Heights 44143

Fun activities for all ages - Eco Demonstrations, Entertainment, House Tours & Art

Go to http://www.richmondheightsohio.org/GreenwoodFarm.php for details

Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up

Saturday, September 25 9:00am - 4:00pm

Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Berea

"The Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up is a free collection event for all Cuyahoga County residents that provides an environmentally-safe disposal of hazardous, poisonous, or toxic household products."

Acceptable Items:

Oil or solvent based paints, sealers, primers, varnish, polyurethanes, shellacs, spray paint, auto fluids, kerosene, gasoline, lighter fluid, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, paint thinner, mineral spirits, turpentine, caustic household cleaners, adhesives, roof tar, driveway sealer, mercury, fluorescent bulbs (No latex paint, business waste, medicine)

ID required, must be County resident

More details here: Cuyahoga SWD Website

*Call your City Service Department for additional locations

Euclid Creek Public Involvement Committee Meeting

Friday, October 1 9:00am-10:30am

Cleveland Water Pollution Control

Euclid Creek Watershed Council Meeting

Thursday, November 4 7:30am-9:00am

Mayfield Heights DeJohn Community Center

Participate in

Friends of Euclid Creek 2010 Photo Contest!!!

Enter the 2010 FOEC Photography Contest

Deadline for submissions is October 5, 2010

Click here for more details about the contest and to see Prizes and Categories

Stream Water Quality Monitoring Trainings Offered

Cuyahoga SWCD is offering a series of Credible Data training workshops in 2010

for Habitat and Chemistry

Chemical Water Quality Assessment Training Workshop Date (last training)

August 17-19, Noon-5PM on the 17^th, 9AM-5PM on the 18^th and 19^th

Cost for each workshop: $20, does not include lunch—click here for full workshop details

The Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach™ Team Beach Cleanups

Join the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach™ as we clean and screen

Euclid Beach State Park all summer long!

Dates:

Saturday, August 21st from 10:00am-12:00pm - time has changed! (A Beach Cleanup followed by a fun cookout!!)

Directions to Euclid Beach State Park:

Euclid Beach does not have a street address, but if it did it would be located at 16300 Lake Shore Boulevard. The Park is located on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard between E. 152nd Street and E. 185th Street just east of the Euclid Beach Arch (at E. 159th Street), in Cleveland, Ohio 44104.

Details:

We will meet at the Euclid Beach Pavilion and then the group will head down to the beach collecting the trash we find (this is an eye opening experience!). We will then conduct simple beach observation and interactive water quality tests. Finally, we will wrap things up with some refreshments, pictures and a trash weighing contest!

Contact Information:

For more information, contact Stephen Love slove@mail.bw.edu, (216)-571-0685.

Ongoing Meetings

Friends of Euclid Creek (FOEC) Monthly Meetings

FOEC meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm at the South Euclid Community Center*

1370 Victory Drive, South Euclid 44121

See the FOEC website for more information and to join!

(http://friendsofeuclidcreek.nhlink.net/)

*August Meeting Cancelled

South Euclid Citizens for Land Conservation

Meets at South Euclid City Hall (upstairs).

For more information, contact Barb Holtz at 216-382-3595 or mothernature3@sbcglobal.net

Past Events

2009 Euclid Creek Watershed Events

2008 Euclid Creek Watershed Events

Watershed News

Groups join forces to clean up and have fun at Cleveland's Euclid Beach: Read about the Euclid Adopt-A-Beach and Arts Collinwood beach cleanup and sand castle festival here. [updated 7/22/10]

Euclid Creek 'Lacustrine Refuge' proposal selected as Finalist for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding! Click here to see full announcement. [updated 6/3/10]

Learning from the deep history of the Bluestone Heights: "Some of the region's most interesting bioregional investigations are being led by citizen scientists using new Web-based tools. They are uncovering geological features that have been covered up by modern civilization — and reasons for early human settlement patterns that have been lost to history..." Click here to see full particle. [updated 5/27/10]

Oil spill from a gas well in Pepper Pike pollutes stream (in Chagrin River Watershed): "An oil spill was found Sunday, May 2 in a stream by Lander Circle and Pinetree Road..." Click here to see full particle. [updated 5/05/10]

Road salt on highways saves lives, but may ruin urban streams, federal study says: "Heavily salting snow-covered highways clearly makes winter driving safer for us, but it also threatens the lives of aquatic plants and animals, federal researchers say in a new report." Click here to see full press release. [updated 2/26/10]

Euclid Creek Watershed communities pass 'sensible salting practices' resolutions applauded by Ohio EPA: To see letter click here.
Among the Watershed communities to formally pass the resolutions in 2008 were Lyndhurst, Mayfield Village and South Euclid (South Euclid resolution); and communities that support the resolution are Richmond Heights and Highland Heights.
Encourage your community to pass a resolution or to support decreasing salt use in their every day practice!

Demonstration Wind Turbine Project to be Built at the Euclid, Ohio World Headquarters Campus: "The City of Euclid's Going Green initiative took another major step forward with the State Energy Program grant award announcement today by Governor Ted Strickland at the Lincoln Electric Company. Lincoln was awarded a $1M grant funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program... According to Mayor Bill Cervenik, "Lincoln officials indicated that the turbine would also generate about 10% of their annual electric demand and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Click here to see full press release. [updated 12/1/09]

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Request for Proposals released! "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today announced the release of a request for proposals (RFP) under President Obama’s historic Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The RFP released today invites partner Agencies, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and other eligible organizations working on Great Lakes restoration to present EPA with ideas and projects to protect and restore this national treasure. EPA, through the Great Lakes National Program Office is seeking applications from a diverse group of participants and partnerships to support the goals of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative..." The RFP is available here. [updated 11/24/09]

Two Richmond Heights sewer projects in Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District pipeline: "Two projects are on the list right now: expanding the existing detention basin near Geraldine Avenue downstream from Richmond Town Square to deal with surface and basement flooding in the area and potential stream restoration of the East Branch of Euclid Creek near City Park to deal with flooding and erosion." Click here to see full article.. [updated 11/20/09]

Ohio Watershed Coordinator Grant Program - 2008 Annual Report: Click here to see what Watershed Coordinator's did last year in northeast Ohio and state-wide. [updated 9/1/09]

Filling of Wetlands Continues as Developers Protest Proposed Rules: "More than 477 acres have been covered since plan stalled in 2006..." Click here for full article. [updated 8/31/09]

Beachwood studies rain barrel legislation: "Beachwood City Council is considering legislation that would govern rain collection and storage barrels." Click here for full article. [updated 8/8/09]

Chicago Bans 14 Invasive Plants: Click here for full article. [updated 6/23/09]

Annual Vacation Beach Water Quality Report Documents Ohio's Beach Health Advisories: For Press Release click here, local article click here, and for full report click here. [updated 7/29/09].

U.S. EPA commends Cuyahoga cleanup -- but won't take river off list of polluted waters: Click here for full article. [updated 6/23/09]

It's a far healthier Cuyahoga River than the one that burned in 1969: "Oil, chemicals, and floating debris on the surface of the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969. It wasn't the first time the river burned. But it set in motion a change in the public's attitude about the environment and affected legislation that followed." Click here for full article. [updated 6/23/09]

For more articles on the Cuyahoga River and the 2009 Year of the River celebration: Click here.

$475 Million Great Lakes Restoration initiative in President's FY2010 Budget: "The President's 2010 Budget Outline provides $475 million in the Environmental Protection Agency's budget for a new EPA-led, interagency Great Lakes restoration initiative, which will target the most significant problems in the region, including invasive aquatic species, non-point source pollution, and contaminated sediment." Click here for full article. [updated 5/18/09]

271 Million Pounds of Pharmaceuticals In Our Water: "Last year, the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in American drinking water supplies. Including recent findings in Dallas, Cleveland and Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties, pharmaceuticals have been detected in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans... Most cities and water providers still do not test. Some scientists say that wherever researchers look, they will find pharma-tainted water... Consumers are considered the biggest contributors to the contamination. We consume drugs, then excrete what our bodies don't absorb. Other times, we flush unused drugs down toilets. The AP also found that an estimated 250 million pounds of pharmaceuticals and contaminated packaging are thrown away each year by hospitals and long-term care facilities." For full article click here. [updated 5/5/09]

Friends of Euclid Creek have created a new BLOG website: To view this website and to find out what the Friends of Euclid Creek group is up to click here. [updated 4/8/09]

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich calls for nationwide ban on phosphates in dishwasher detergent: "Ohio's Republican U.S. senator, George Voinovich, joined a Michigan Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin, in calling for a nationwide ban on phosphates in dishwasher detergent. They said their bill, introduced Tuesday, would protect aquatic life in the Great Lakes." Click here for full Plain Dealer article. [updated 4/7/09]

Goose droppings might be raising bacteria levels in Northeast Ohio waterways: "Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District have been trying for years to determine whether goose droppings might be to blame for exceedingly high bacteria counts at the twin beaches of Euclid Creek/Villa Angela near the border of Cleveland and Euclid." Click here for full Plain Dealer article. [updated 3/23/09]

Euclid Councilwoman rallies for residents' to use rain barrels: "Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Jo Minarik is leading a charge to encourage Euclid residents to place rain barrels in their yards this year." Click here for full Euclid Sun Journal article. [updated 3/11/09]

Water: Bottlers use 2,000 times the energy than tap, study says: A think tank based in Oakland, Calif., thinks you should go with tap. A study published in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters this month says the bottled-water supply chain in the United States consumes as much as 2,000 times more energy than traditional tap-water production. Click here for full article. [updated 2/26/09]

Economic damages from nutrient pollution create a “toxic debt”: a U.S. analysis of nutrient pollution in freshwater reveals annual losses of at least $4 billion, mostly from dips in lakefront property values and loss of recreational use. Read full article here. [updated 1/7/09]

Climate Change Threatens Ohio's Environment and Economy: a report prepared by Environment Ohio warns that ignoring climate change could cost Ohio billions in revenue and almost 2 million in jobs. Read full article here. here[updated 12/18/08]

Trace amounts of pharmaceuticals found locally at Tinkers Creek: Trace amounts of many medicines, such as antibiotics, prescription and non prescription pharmaceuticals were found in trace amounts in Tinkers Creek. (Click here for full Plain Dealer article, Click here for USGS press release.) [updated 12/12/08]

Three Euclid Creek Communities given awards at the Cuyahoga Solid Waste District's annual Trash Oscars event:

Beachwood awarded 'Best Supporting Community in a Recycling Role': The City of Beachwood had the 2nd highest recycling rate in Cuyahoga County in 2007 - recycling 67.13% of its waste. Click here for more of Beachwood's recycling accomplishments.

South Euclid awarded 'Most Improved Recycling Producers': The City of South Euclid had the most improved recycling rate for two years in a row, increasing recycling by over 20% since 2005.

Cleveland awarded 'Best Director in a Leading Role: Cleveland's Commissioner of Waste Collection, Ron Owens, was recognized for his leadership in organizing Cleveland's first automated waste collection program, and for reinstating curbside recycling.

[updated 12/09/08]

Unbelievably sad news about tireless environmental activist Ed Hauser: Ed Hauser, 47, environmental activist who fought to preserve Whiskey Island. [updated 11/19/08]

Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Awarded ODNR Grant to Help Restore and Protect Euclid Creek Watershed: click here for ODNR Press release. [updated 11/5/08]

Call for Artists: The City of Cleveland, through its Public Art Program, is requesting qualifications from artists in producing public art within the City of Cleveland. One of the projects is in the Euclid Creek Watershed in the Nottingham neighborhood (November 7, submission deadline). Please click here to find out more... [updated 10/20/08]

South Euclid Detention Basin in Nine Mile Creek Watershed converted into wetland system - click here for full story - click here for video [updated 10/20/08]

Beachwood High School: Ultimate Green Classroom opens with Mayfield students' aid - click here for full article [updated 10/7/08]

The Great Lakes Compact Passed - On Friday, October 3rd, President Bush signed The Great Lakes Compact which provides for a comprehensive management framework for achieving sustainable water use and resource protection in the Great Lakes region. For more information on The Compact, please visit the Council of Great Lakes Governors Website at http://www.cglg.org [updated 10/6/08]

South Euclid and Euclid modify Ordinances to allow for Rain Barrels!

See City of South Euclid's rain barrel installation detail here [updated 10/6/08]

For City of Euclid's informational page on rain barrels click here [updated 11/24/08]

Watershed Tips

10 ways you can help your neighborhood creek today:

Recycle used motor oil.
Check your vehicles regularly for leaks. Clean up spilled fluids with kitty litter or sand and dispose of properly.
Use pesticides & fertilizers sparingly. Use natural fertilizers such as compost for gardens.
Select native plants which generally require less water, fertilizer & pesticides.
Vegetate bare spots in your yard to prevent soil erosion.
Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on your lawn.
Dispose of pet waste, a source of bacteria & nutrients in our streams, properly by throwing in garbage or burying.
Drain your swimming pool only when a test kit does not detect chlorine levels, ideally in a sanitary sewer.
Maintain your septic system by having it inspected at least every 3 years and pumped as necessary.
Protect your storm drains, which are directly linked to local streams and rivers.
Get involved! Participate in stream cleanups, invasive plants pulls, and join your local watershed group like Friends of Euclid Creek.

Recycling Tip: Where to recycle old TV's during transition to digital TV (Click here for article)

Ohio EPA Recommends Leaf Management to Protect Water Quality: When raking fall leaves this season, Ohioans should be aware that leaves can cause water pollution if not managed properly. Ohio EPA recommends property owners consider the best way to manage them based on the types of leaf collection programs in the community. (Click here for full article)

EPA Water Conservation Tip: If every home in the United States installed WaterSense labeled faucets or faucet aerators in the bathrooms, it would save 60 billion gallons of water annually, saving households more than $350 million in water bills and about $600 million in energy costs to heat their water. Additionally, water and waste water utilities would save 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity normally used for supplying and treating that water. The WaterSense website has a complete list of WaterSense labeled products.

Leaky Pipes - Factoid: Did you know each day approximately six billion gallons of treated drinking water are "lost" primarily due to system leaks throughout the United States? This is approximately 14% of the nation's total daily water production. (Reported by American Society of Civil Engineers)

Plans Guiding Implementation for the

Euclid Creek Watershed Program

Download Instructions:

Place cursor over link to download file below, or if you don't have Adobe Acrobat, click on icon below for free download.

Euclid Beach Fishing Pier Feasibility Study, Northeast Shores Development Corporation Study, 2008:

Northeast Shores Development Corporation received a grant to determine the feasibility of rebuilding the historic Euclid Beach Fishing Pier into Lake Erie at Euclid Beach State Park. URS was hired to study the geotechnical and site issues and to determine costs. The study concluded that constructing a new pier at the site is feasible. This will be an unbelievably exciting project - views of the downtown from this site are fantastic and would only enhance residents' lakefront experience.

Euclid Beach Fishing Pier Feasibility Study