Big Creek Storage Tunnel Easements (688-2026)

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard and outcomes incomplete.

What: Ordinance 688-2026, as amended (Councilmember Kazy, Councilmember Hudson, Councilmember Bishop and Council President Griffin, by departmental request), authorizes the parks and recreation director to grant the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District permanent surface, subterranean and temporary easements at Emery Park and Estabrook Park for the Big Creek Storage Tunnel.
Where it stands: approved as amended in committee on 2026-10-12 by voice vote, then passed 13-0 by the full council on second reading the same evening.
Next: construction; a future overflow project at Emery Park is expected from 2029 to 2031.

The seventh and last combined sewer overflow storage tunnel in the sewer district's Project Clean Lake program (about $3 billion over 24 years). Over 4 miles long, 20 feet in diameter, 50 to 100 feet underground, capturing 11 overflow outfalls and cutting overflows to Big Creek by about 550 million gallons a year.
Emery Park easements valued at $220,400, plus a $450,000 increase to the site restoration budget ($670,400 total) in a new fund used solely for permits at that park; Estabrook Park easements valued at $56,400, also in a dedicated account. Contractors will use acoustic fencing, and the park will be partly occupied for roughly 4 to 7 years.

First heard in the Utilities Committee, where the parks commissioner and sewer district staff presented. Whole project about $324 million plus a $60 to $70 million follow-on at Emery Park, paid by sewer district ratepayers, not the city.
The chair (Councilmember Kazy) pressed on the loss of most of Emery Park for several years and on 17 temporary 60-foot poles (plus nine replacements) on West 130th Street; an amendment was added requiring the district to seek the electric utility's approval to remove or replace the poles at district cost by 2032. Councilmember Hudson confirmed that recently planted Estabrook Park trees will be relocated and replanted, and asked about a home needed for a shaft near West 37th Street (relocation talks under way; the district can use eminent domain because the federal consent decree sets the schedule).
Councilmember Conwell and Councilmember Gray praised the district's neighborhood outreach. Approved as amended.

Councilmember Kazy, who represents the Emery Park area, said he was "not a happy camper" but, with the restoration and utility pole amendments negotiated over months with the regional planning agency, the electric utilities and others, would not hold it up.
A councilmember asked about methane releases like those at an older tunnel; the sewer district said modern construction lines and grouts the tunnel behind the boring machine, so venting is not expected, and it would resend its written response to council staff.
Separately, Council President Griffin and Councilmember Conwell raised a dam with a decades-old flood risk in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights: the sewer district has postponed a fix until those cities finish their due diligence, citing $1.4 billion of other stormwater projects. Griffin wants a briefing with utilities, the affected members and both cities, and asked who would be liable in a failure.

About 46 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-12 - Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee	15
2026-10-08 - Utilities Committee	31

2026-10-12 - City Council - Passed 13-0 on second reading; no debate.
2026-10-12 - Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - Heard in committee; sewer district presentation, amended and approved; follow-up requested on a dam flood risk and methane.
2026-10-08 - Utilities Committee - Heard first in committee; pole removal amendment added; tree relocation, home acquisition and eminent domain questions; approved as amended.
2026-09-28 - Municipal Services and Properties Committee - Tunnel and methane questions; approved as amended by voice vote, with the Utilities Committee still to resolve pole placement and park restoration.