What You Need to Know: Project Clean Lake

Project Clean Lake is a regional sewer improvement plan that aims to reduce the amount of untreated waste water making it out into the environment. That's a concept that's hard to argue against. 

But the cost associated with the proposed project is a dizzying one: $3 billion. For residents, that would mean higher — much higher — sewer bills, regardless of the level of construction or improvement in each community.

In Brecksville, where the sewage systems are newer, residents likely won't notice a big difference in service, despite the higher bills. 

Brecksville uses the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, which would not be scheduled to see improvements until later in the project,  said Jean Chapman, the sewer district's public information specialist. Even then, the improvements would take place inside the plant and likely would not affect residents. 

The plant uses two kinds of treatment before sending water into the Cuyahoga River. The more thorough method is akin to completely detailing a car, Chapman said, and is the preferred method. But when the plant is at capacity, water gets a minimal cleaning — like simply rinsing off a car — before it's sent to the river. The updates to the plant would increase its capacity and reduce the amount of the minimal water treatment.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is the local organization behind the project, which is still awaiting federal approval. The district is run by an appointed board of trustees.

The problem: Many of the region's sewage systems are old, with combined sewage and storm water treatment systems, Chapman said. That means when it rains, there's a good chance that the systems will overflow, sending untreated waste water into the environment.

The solution: In the areas with older systems, new tunnels that can carry more water would be built. The project would also explore ways to divert storm water before it reaches a sewage drain. Most of the intense work would take place in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs, where sewage systems are older, Chapman said.

Price tag: $3 billion.

Cost to residents: Rates are expected to increase 13 percent each year from 2012 to 2016. After that, rates still are expected to increase, but Chapman couldn't estimate how much. Brecksville residents would see this increase as part of their water bills, said Ron Weidig, the city's public services director.

Time frame: 25 years.

The result: At the end of the project, as little as 470 million gallons of waste water would be released directly into the environment each year, Chapman said -- down from the nearly 4.5 billion gallons now released annually.