Mill Creek Restoration Project to Move Forward with New Easements

Cleveland is moving forward with a significant environmental project to restore the Mill Creek corridor through the Kerruish Basin. City Council has passed emergency ordinance 453-2026, which allows the Director of Public Utilities to grant several permanent easements to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). These easements involve City-owned properties located in Cleveland and Warrensville Heights and are essential for the NEORSD Mill Creek Restoration Project, which aims to address ongoing issues with streambank erosion and sediment buildup in the Kerruish Basin.

According to the 453-2026-LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY, the restoration will focus on approximately 2,000 feet of the creek upstream of the basin. The work includes realigning the stream to reduce velocity and raising the streambed to protect underground sanitary sewers that have been exposed by erosion. To facilitate this, the City is donating 21.9017 acres of stormwater easements and a 3.2668-acre access easement to the NEORSD. While these easements are valued at $188,775, they are being donated to the district to support a public improvement project that comes at no cost to the City. The NEORSD is providing the full $6,366,000 construction budget and has agreed to repair and resurface E. 177th Street between the basin access entrance and S. Miles Road once the restoration is complete. The project area spans portions of Ward 1, represented by Councilman Joseph T. Jones.

The ordinance has officially passed. As the project progresses, residents can look for upcoming construction activity related to the stream realignment and the planned road improvements on E. 177th Street.

Source record

File
453-2026
Type
Emergency Ordinance
Status
Passed
Committee
City Council
Introduced
April 1, 2026

View on Cleveland Legistar

Official documents

Sources