NEORSD presents revised recommendation for Lower Lake Dam: modeling, costs and options divide councils and public

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) presented a revised recommendation to the Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights councils about the Lower Lake Dam and the Doan Brook watershed, saying updated modeling and predesign work changed the earlier assessment and created two distinct pathways: reconstruct the dam to meet state dam-safety standards, or remove the dam and restore stream corridors. The presentation prompted extensive questions from both councils and a large public comment period.

NEORSD CEO Kyle Dreyfus Wells opened the presentation saying, "We made the original recommendation in 2021 to remove Horseshoe Lake Dam, restore Doan Brook to current safety standards," and that new information and modeling gathered in 2024 and 2025 led the district to revise its recommendations for Lower Lake. Matt Sharver, NEORSD—s director of watershed programs, summarized the technical findings: the predesign showed that reconstructing Lower Lake Dam to meet Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) class 1 high-hazard standards would require major civil works, flood walls and an auxiliary spillway and was costly; by contrast, removing the dam and restoring the stream reduces public-safety risk and improves water quality and ecological function.

Key technical and cost points the district presented

- ODNR classification and probable maximum flood: NEORSD said the Lower Lake Dam is regulated as a class 1 high-hazard dam and must meet the probable maximum flood standard; Sharver said the probable maximum flood "is about 24 to 26 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period." He also said, "Right now, Lower Lake Dam only provides 2% of conveyance for the probable maximum flood," a shortfall the predesign exercise examined.

- Modeling improvements: NEORSD said…