Heavy rains cause raw sewage to flow into Lake Erie at Edgewater Beach

The heavy rain last week meant 140,000 gallons of sewage was released from this site near...
The heavy rain last week meant 140,000 gallons of sewage was released from this site near Edgewater Beach.(Source: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District)
Updated: Oct. 21, 2020 at 1:11 PM EDT
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District issued a public advisory for Edgewater Beach because of a sewage overflow into Lake Erie that occurred as a result of Wednesday morning’s rainfall.

The overflow of raw sewage and stormwater occurred just after 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

Signs have been posted at Edgewater beach urging visitors, especially children, the elderly, and those in poor health, to avoid coming in contact with the Lake Erie Water.

“Our region has experienced many strong storms in recent years, an ongoing trend that we will see more of in the future,” said Director of Watershed Programs Frank Greenland.

Throughout the mid-1970s, sewage discharge into Lake Erie occurred 40 to 50 times per year. The NEORSD’s efforts to improve infrastructure have significantly decreased those discharges.

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