LEGEND: Story of toilet surge during big game is a lasting #SewerBowl urban myth

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5319 Views
• January 30th, 2014
• in Miscellaneous
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MetLife Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday, February 2, 2014. Courtesy Wikipedia. The story goes something like this. Just after the Super Bowl’s second quarter, millions of fans rush to their bathrooms for relief, leading to a tremendous flush-induced surge in sewer systems across the country, large...

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SUPER BOWL: How does infrastructure play into the Big Game? #SewerBowl will live-tweet the flow facts

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5079 Views
• January 28th, 2014
• in Miscellaneous
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A recent survey shows 60% of Super Bowl viewers plan to use a mobile device while watching the big game. While we haven’t commissioned a “sur-vey” , our intuition tells us 100% of Super Bowl viewers also will either use the bathroom,...

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WEIRD: Sewer clogged by a pile of undergarments [facepalm here]

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4916 Views
• January 9th, 2014
• in Miscellaneous
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One of the most common sewer clogs in many cities sewer systems recently has been disposable wipes. They don’t play nice with your plumbing many wastewater treatment systems. Neither do underpants. Yes, true story—this one out of the UK—Severn Trent Water reports that a sewer in the town of...

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PIC: Ask an engineer how a combined sewer works. Here’s what you get.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5567 Views
• December 3rd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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“It’s a little messy around the edges,” Joe said, referring to his sketch of a combined sewer regulator. I would have described it as intricate, then again, I’m not Joe. Joe Jira is a Geographic Information System Analyst in our Engineering department, and Analyst doesn’t give his enthusiasm for...

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WATCH: Do you see what we see? Sewer maintenance and video inspections

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5399 Views
• October 3rd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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How do we get a closer look at problems in our sewers? One way is using a video rig and camera like this. This is a demonstration set-up so our Open House visitors can see the camera and its maneuverability in action. Lights. Camera. Action. Video cameras are important...

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TECH: If your toilet is controlled by a smart phone, it can be hacked. You’ve been warned.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5030 Views
• August 7th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Before we share this story, if you are a the owner of a smart toilet, you might want to sit down. Just not on the toilet. It has been revealed that a “security flaw” in the high-tech Satis toilet—a commode capable of being controlled by your smart phone—means the...

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NEWS: Happy birthday to loo, Crapper’s invention celebrates its 150th

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5326 Views
• January 23rd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Here’s one birthday that’s a total crapper. Thomas J. Crapper, actually. January 13 marked the 150th birthday of plumber Thomas J. Crapper‘s invention, a one-piece pedestal for a flushing toilet that would revolutionize their operation—and sanitation in general. The Independent blogged about the birthday last week: …thanks to Thomas...

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PHOTO: Salty sewers? Winter’s residue builds up beneath the streets

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4985 Views
• January 22nd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Snow on the roads this morning makes traveling treacherous, but what’s going on below the surface? Our Sewer System Maintenance and Operation crews inspect sewers all year round, and during periods of road salting and deicing, the calcium deposits in sewers can build up quickly. In the above photo...

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THANKS: Two special animals are grrrr-ateful this Thanksgiving

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5064 Views
• November 22nd, 2012
• in Miscellaneous
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Many of us are thankful for our pets, but this year, we at the Sewer District were glad to contribute to two happy endings that saved the lives of two very special animals. Jenni, a two-foot-long alligator, and Rosco, a German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix pup, were both rescued by quick...

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UPDATE / #gatorrescue :: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is Jenni’s new home

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5914 Views
• November 13th, 2012
• in Miscellaneous
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This two-foot-long American alligator—affectionately named Jenni—was rescued from Big Creek in Cleveland last Thursday. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo picked her up this morning and will care for her as part of the zoo’s outreach program. See you later, alligator. “Jenni,” the alligator rescued by a Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer...

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