Water & Sewer

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD)

The Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is located in the village of Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. It is situated on a 273-acre site and serves a population of more than 601,000 in the Greater Cleveland area.

This facility is the largest of the District’s three wastewater treatment plants and one of the largest plants of its kind in the country. Southerly has an average daily flow of 125 million gallons per day (mgd). It can provide complete treatment to a maximum of 400 mgd, and an additional 335 mgd of storm water can receive primary treatment only.

The Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC) houses the District’s Analytical Services, Sewer System Maintenance & Operations, Water Quality and Industrial Surveillance, Inventory Control, Building Maintenance and Vehicle Maintenance departments. It is located in Cuyahoga Heights, adjacent to the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Regional Stormwater Management Program
“Small Drops. Big Problems. A Regional Solution”

The Sewer District’s Regional Stormwater Management Program addresses problems related to stormwater runoff from hard surfaces. Runoff contributes to regional stream flooding, erosion, and water-quality issues.

Visit the NEORSD website http://www.neorsd.org/stormwater-watersheds.php to learn more about the program fees and credit opportunities.

Industrial Customers

The Greater Cleveland area is home to many industries that deserve special attention because of (1) amount of water consumption and wastewater discharged into the sewer system, and/or (2) specific substances created as byproducts of their manufacturing or industrial processes.

Industrial Waste Surcharge

An additional charge is billed to industrial and other types of customers discharging waste water which contains substances requiring more extensive treatment than effluent from residential customers.

The amount of Industrial Waste Surcharge is calculated in accordance with formulas set forth in the Rate Resolution, which take into account concentration of suspended solids, biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand based on waste loading determined by analysis or otherwise.

Sewer Service Charges Responsibility

In accordance with Section 1.0604 of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Code of Regulations – Billing and Collection of Industrial Sewerage Service Charges: “All Industrial Users are required to pay sewer service charges for wastewater discharged to the sanitary sewer system. It is the obligation of all Users to notify the District if their connection to the system is not being billed for Sewer Service Charges. Users shall be responsible for all unbilled Sewer Service Charges for a period of up to six (6) years prior to the date of the User receiving the back bill or other instrument stating the amount due and owing.”

To access the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Code of Regulations, click on the links provided on this page. The Code of Regulations consists of Title I (Sewer Use Code), Title II (Pretreatment Regulations) and Title III (Separate Sanitary and Combined Sewer Code).

SSCBOUTS Program

The District’s Water Quality and Industrial Surveillance Department administers the Sewer Service Charge Based On Usage of the System (SSCBOUTS) program. As part of this program, customers with greater than 50,000 cubic feet annual water consumption may request that their billing for sewage service be based upon wastewater discharged into the sewer system.

If the request is granted, one or more re-registering meters are installed and maintained at the customer’s expense, to determine the quantity of water actually entering the sewer system.

There is a $500, non-refundable application fee for this program as well as an annual fee. For more information about this program, please contact the District’s Water Quality and Industrial Surveillance (WQIS) Department at 216-641-6000.