NEW LEADERSHIP
Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells named CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells will be appointed Chief Executive Officer effective February 11. Dreyfuss-Wells will succeed
Julius Ciaccia who, after more than nine years as CEO, will retire on February 10, 2017.
"Under the leadership of CEO Ciaccia, the Sewer District has become one of the most renowned progressive environmental organizations in the nation," Dreyfuss-Wells said. "I would like to thank the Board of Trustees for giving me the opportunity to build upon those successes."
Dreyfuss-Wells has been with the Sewer District since 2008, and currently is the Deputy Director of Watershed Programs. In addition to her leadership role in the development and implementation of the
Regional Stormwater Management Program, Dreyfuss-Wells played a critical role in the negotiations with the federal government of
Project Clean Lake, the Sewer District’s program to significantly reduce the amount of raw sewage discharging into the environment.
She has led on the Sewer District’s
Green Infrastructure Program, including the implementation of the
grants program, which is designed to remove stormwater from the combined system as redevelopment activities occur.
She has been integral in the development of the
Member Community Infrastructure Program, a funding program provided by the Sewer District to assist member communities in addressing water quality and quantity issues associated with aging sewer infrastructure that adversely impact human health and the environment.
"Since she began her career with us, Kyle demonstrated significant leadership related to water-quality issues, both at the Sewer District and during her work with national water organizations like the National Association of Clean Water Agencies," said Ciaccia.
"This will be beneficial as the Sewer District continues to lead on local and national sewer- and stormwater-infrastructure issues, from high-performing plant operations to regional stormwater management efforts."
Currently, Dreyfuss-Wells is chair of the
National Association of Clean Water Agency's Stormwater Management Committee and the District 1 Natural Resources Assistance Council for the
Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Conservation Program.
Darnell Brown, Chief Operating Officer for the City of Cleveland and Sewer District Board President, says Dreyfuss-Wells has demonstrated enthusiastic leadership and a commitment to this region. "She has not only played an integral role in addressing wastewater issues like combined sewer overflows, she’s a visionary and a pioneer in matters related to stormwater issues. This is extremely important as we continue to enhance this piece of our core mission."
Brown went on to say that in her previous work as Director of the
Chagrin River Watershed Partners, she worked with local municipalities to improve their stormwater control best practices, protecting our region’s water quality resources. "She’s perfectly situated to continue our decades-long work in improving sewer infrastructure as well as carrying out our Regional Stormwater Management Program."
"I’m also pleased that we had such a strong internal candidate to promote to the CEO position," said Brown. "It speaks highly to the talent we have in this organization."
"Kyle's passion is second to none, and that's saying a lot when you're among Julius Ciaccia's Senior Staff," said
Jack Bacci, Mayor of Cuyahoga Heights and Sewer District Trustee. "Notably, I'm impressed with Kyle's commitment to continuing the Sewer District's role in protecting our region's most valuable asset, Lake Erie, ensuring its sustainability for future generations. . . . We are also excited that Kyle will continue the Sewer District’s high level of attentiveness to the needs and concerns of our elected officials and customers."
Dreyfuss-Wells received her BS in Biology Summa Cum Laude from the Ohio State University. She received a MPA and a MS in Environmental Science with honors at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa. Before joining the Sewer District, she was Director of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc., a non-profit organization serving 35 municipalities on Cleveland’s east side improving land-use decision-making in the 267 square-mile Chagrin River watershed.
COMMUNITY GRANTS
District awards infrastructure grant funding to local communities
The
Member Community Infrastructure Program (MCIP) was developed last year to assist District member communities in addressing water quality and quantity issues associated with sewer infrastructure. The program is intended to target problems that adversely impact human health and the environment. The MCIP provides an annual funding opportunity to our member communities for sewer infrastructure repair and rehabilitation projects that will:
- Continue progress towards environmentally sustainable and healthy communities through protection and improvement of the region’s water resources consistent with the vision of the Sewer District.
- Support efforts to assist member community’s compliance with the Sewer District’s Community Discharge Permit Program.
- Improve the function and condition of the local sewer system.
- Identify and remove sources of inflow and infiltration from the sewer system. This reduction would preserve the hydraulic capacity of the local and Sewer District sewer system and alleviate problems such as basement flooding.
In Fall 2016, the District released an MCIP request for proposals to member communities for submission of projects. We received 25 proposals. On January 5, 2017 the Sewer District Board of Trustees approved staff recommendations to award funding for 12 projects within the District service area. Approximately $7.2 million in grant funding will be allocated this year to assist with these projects. For information regarding the MCIP program including a complete list of 2017 projects, please visit
www.neorsd.org/mcip.php.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Sewer District continues Project Clean Lake progress
The Sewer District is continuing work on construction related to Project Clean Lake. We are five years into the 25-year effort to reduce the total volume of combined sewer overflow (CSO) into the environment, from 4.5 billion gallons to 494 million gallons annually. When the project is complete in 2036 over 98% of all wet-weather flows in our combined sewer system will be receiving treatment. Substantial progress was made on several construction projects in 2016 and work will continue in 2017. Below is a snapshot of our current construction:
- The Easterly Tunnel Dewatering Pump Station is scheduled to achieve full operation in third quarter 2017. This facility will ultimately receive CSO from the Euclid Creek, Shoreline and Dugway storage tunnels and deliver it to the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Euclid Creek Tunnel will capture 350 million gallons of CSO annually.
- The Euclid Creek Pump Station/Lakeshore Boulevard Relief Sewer was completed in 2016.
- The Dugway West Interceptor is substantially complete and will transport 110 gallons of CSO each year.
- Construction on the Dugway Storage Tunnel is ongoing. Shaft sites will be at tunnel elevation for the launch of the tunnel boring machines in second quarter 2017.
- Substantial improvements to and/or at the Easterly, Westerly, and Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plants are also moving forward in 2017. These upgrades and added infrastructure will enhance our ability to treat more wet weather flows that previously discharged into the environment through combined sewer overflows.
The District is committed to using rate payer dollars wisely on all our construction projects. Work on the
Dugway South and
East 140th Consolidation and Relief Sewer projects are underway and $20 million total was saved on the contracts. Bidding for the
Superior Stones Canal also came in $4 million less than projected. Overall the District has saved $600 million in project costs from the original $3 billion Project Clean Lake price tag.
Regarding the green infrastructure (GI) component of Project Clean Lake, the District completed construction on the Fairhill MLK and Urban Agriculture GI projects in 2016 and bidding for the final two GI projects required by the consent decree will take place 2nd quarter 2017. In addition to the mandated green infrastructure work, the District continues to promote green infrastructure in private development, through GI grants and most notably with our Regional Stormwater Management Program. For more information on Project Clean Lake visit our website at
neorsd.org/projectcleanlake.php.