Cleveland Area Wastewater Treatment Plant Receives Envision Silver Award for Sustainable Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 18, 2018) – The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Greater Cleveland area is the recent recipient of the Envision Silver award for sustainable infrastructure from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI).

Typically applied at the planning and design stages of infrastructure development, the Envision system rates infrastructure projects across the full range of environmental, social and economic impacts. For the NEORSD Southerly Plant, a pilot initiative was undertaken in which Envision verification was pursued well into the plant’s operational life, making this the oldest infrastructure project that has been verified by the Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system.

The original NEORSD Southerly Plant became operational in 1928, and underwent a major rehabilitation of in 1974 with investments of $400 million. More recently, the construction of a Renewable Energy Facility (REF) at the Southerly Plant became fully operational in 2014 and the construction of the REF facility was a key driver to pursuing Envision verification for the facility. “As a progressive, environmental organization, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is proud to be recognized for its continued infrastructure investments at its Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest wastewater treatment plant in the State of Ohio and the 12th largest in the nation.

These investments, including the construction of the Renewable Energy Facility, a state-of-the-art incineration facility that, in part, reduces the plant’s natural gas consumption and electrical costs, has positively impacted the environment and public health,” said Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, CEO of NEORSD. “Our work at Southerly is a reflection of the Sewer District’s commitment to sustainable business practices throughout the entire organization.”

The NEORSD Southerly Plant is located in the Village of Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio on a 288-acre site and it serves a population of more than 530,000 in the Greater Cleveland area. The Southerly Plant is the largest of the district’s three wastewater treatment plants and is among the largest of its kind in the United States, handling an average daily flow of 120 million gallons per day (mgd). As the operator of the facility, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District collaborated closely with The Construction Green Team on the Envision sustainable infrastructure project submission for the facility.

As a collaborative effort between ISI and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, the Envision system rates the impact of sustainable infrastructure projects as a whole. The Envision system measures sustainable infrastructure in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Risk. These key areas contribute to the positive social, economic and environmental impacts on a community. 

For more information, visit the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure.