Public Works - Safety Service Department

Current Construction Projects

Rocky River Park Storm Sewer and Sidewalk Project

Upcoming Construction Projects

Buckingham Road, Argyle Oval, and Arundel Road Sewer Replacement Project

The Buckingham Road, Argyle Oval & Arundel Road Sewer Replacement Project is for the replacement of almost 2,000 linear feet of inverted storm and sanitary sewer on public property, as well as the replacement of water mains and connections for all properties, and pavement resurfacing.

The public project area directly services 45 homes and lies within Sewershed 4 in the City of Rocky River.  This area was identified as a necessary location for rehabilitation to reduce infiltration and inflow (I/I) as part of our most recent hydraulic study performed in response to an Administrative Order on Consent by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) requiring the closure of two remaining Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) within the City.  Sewershed 4 serves 356 properties within approximately 134 acres of the City and contains one of the two remaining sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s), SSO No.302, located at Falmouth Drive and Beach Cliff Boulevard, adjacent to the project location.   

Much of the sanitary and storm infrastructure supporting Sewershed 4 is beyond its useful life, in some cases upwards of 100 years old. Coupled with the aging infrastructure, many of the oldest homes in the community are concentrated in Sewershed 4. Portions of sewer system in Sewershed 4 were constructed as over/under sewers, where the sanitary sewer pipe was constructed in the same trench as the storm sewer. Within the manhole, the two sewers are generally only separated by a metal plate which may leak or become dislodged, causing the storm water to flow into the sanitary sewer.  This construction technique, which is unique to northeast Ohio, further contributes to I/I problems, particularly as the infrastructure ages. The additional volume of storm water adds to the volume of the sanitary system, and travels to the wastewater treatment plant for treatment, or during high flow events, may be released directly into the storm system, through outfalls into Lake Erie.  These overflows are a serious risk to the water quality of Lake Erie and to the health of the public and wildlife who rely on the lake as a natural resource.

The City of Rocky River has worked diligently to perform sewer rehabilitation and has successfully closed 12 of the 14 remaining SSO’s through public works projects.  In September of 2009, the USEPA issued Administrative Orders requiring the removal of three (3) SSOs as well as directing the City to perform a City-wide Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES). During the intervening period, one of the three SSOs was removed, and SSES Phase I was conducted for Sewersheds 4, 5, and 12. 

Sewershed 4 was included in the first phase of the SSES due to the location of SSO No. 302 within its boundary. The SSES investigation included collection system inspections and cleaning, mainline and private property dye testing, flow monitoring, hydraulic modeling and improvement planning for each of the selected sewersheds and has been the basis the City’s calculated approach to the planning and implementation of sewer rehabilitation projects in the community.

The project is expected to cost approximately $5,575,000 with $2,520,000 paid by grant funding awarded by federal Community Project Funding that was awarded in 2022 and $639,930 awarded as part of Cleveland Division of Water’s Suburban Water Main Renewal Program. Construction is expected to commence in the fall of 2024 and be completed late 2025.

Please note that while this page is updated regularly, more current information may be available. Please reach out to the Office of the Director of Public Safety-Service at (440) 331-0600 for the most up to date information on all of our past, present, and future projects.