23 years ago today, i stepped into a routine sewer district employee meeting as a director was mentioning reports of a plane crash in NYC. we went on with our meeting.

by the time the meeting ended, everything had changed. we were only then beginning to realize it. 🧵 i got in my car and turned on sports radio. moments later they cut over to a live ABC news broadcast to cover the events as they were transpiring in NY, DC, PA.

our workspaces were like so many others. employees gathered around TVs.

no words between us.

do you ever just lay down and think about how short life really is

i offer this reflection: there is comfort in sewers.

🧵 our oldest sewers in the region date back to 1873, built by hands that passed long before our times.

and yet those systems are still in use today.

no one has asked how to properly prepare their sewers or plumbing for the total solar eclipse.

so here is a thread explaining how to prepare your sewers and plumbing for the total solar eclipse. 1/ first, let’s respect what sewer progress we’ve made since ohio’s last total solar eclipse in 1806. 2/

you don’t want or need another MLK photo and quote canva collage telling you offices are closed today.

what you should want and need are organizations telling you how they’re living Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy. we are committed to what MLK’s legacy represents.

Barbie bathroom playsets, ranked. 🧵 1993 Barbie bathroom playset
• includes all essential fixtures, a plus.
• tub lacks hot/cold knobs, no drain
• shelves over toilet bowl is a big no-no
• shown here on carpet? ewww.

score 6/10

flush. don’t think twice about it.

turn the tap. no big deal.

start the laundry, fill your tub, wash your hands, brush your teeth, let the faucet flow on and on as long as you want.

"it’s just water." the simple fact that we can consider such a precious resource and the complex system it takes to bring it to and from our homes safely “no big deal” is exactly why #WorldWaterDay March 22 should be a very big deal.

someBODY once told me
the sewer world is lonely
Nobody knows the word
“watershed”
She was looking kind of done
when she saw me tweeting puns
in the form
of a meme
on her iPad Well
the tweets start coming
and they didnt stop coming,
connections all around you
so I hit the ground running.
Didn't people see
how their infrastructure works?
Your brain gets smart
through puns and verse.

in honor of Presidents Day, here is the complete list of US presidents who died from waterborne diseases. 1/ William Henry Harrison
9th president (3/4/1841 – 4/4/1841)

prevailing theory was his illness was caused by bad weather at his inauguration. but analysis in 2014 concluded he likely died of typhoid—caused by sewage upstream of the White House water supply. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H…

to everyone who has had a crappy year next year will be crappy too.

there will also be joy.
and laughter.
wonder.
sadness.
confusion and clarity.
change and opportunity.
people, problems, solutions, and more change.
more of the same.
things you never expected.
things you should have expected.

2022 marked our 50th year as a utility.

50 years of people, programs, and progress serving northeast ohio. if you pay or ever paid a sewer district bill, you've contributed to a greater cleveland.

here are 6 specific impacts our very existence has had on the region. change.

our creation in 1972 emerged from the haze of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. it wasn't the first time the river burned, but thanks three specific people—and our years of work that followed—it became the last. neorsd.medium.com/sparking-chang…

it’s that end-of-year time for a top 10 list.

but i need to admit something:

you don’t care about our accomplishments. you really don’t.

you care about yours.

so instead, here’s YOUR top 10 list for 2022. 🧵 10. that challenge you overcame.

you’re stronger for it. but reflecting on it further you realize you were strong all along.

Die Hard is an infrastructure movie. properly cleaned and maintained duct work is critical to an efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

tuning in now. you can too.

https://twitter.com/neorsd/status/1602739100754350081

the @nacwa report is now available:

The Growing U.S. Water Affordability Challenge and the Need for Federal Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Funding nacwa.org/docs/default-s…

TIL this gigantic sewer flap gate—weighing more than 1000 pounds—was blown off its hinges during a storm in 1992.

the force pushed it all the way into Lake Erie. assumed lost.

until an employee, an amateur scuba diver, ventured to find it.

this is Eric Parham’s story. 1/ this gate covers a 10’wide combined sewer overflow on the western stretch of Edgewater Beach.

the overflow itself dates back to the 1890s. combined sewers, carrying sewage and stormwater, have relief points like this to prevent dangerous system backups and flooding. 2/

i prompted an AI to generate images for “goodnight sewers storybook.”

using these images, yes i’ve penned the corresponding text for a “Good night, sewers” storybook.

tuck yourself in.

snuggle up.

here you go. 📖 good night, treatment plant.
good night, sewers.
good night, team watching over the sewers.

sunday, june 22, 1969.🧵 the cleveland weather was cool by comparison that morning, the day's high a few degrees below average. cloudy. but dry.

despite the graduation season upon us, i have not been invited to offer any commencement speeches.

so here is the commencement address no one asked for. 🧵 to the graduating class of 2022, good evening.

i am honored to be here with you tonight.

but as an essential utility service, i’m here to tell you: we’ve actually been with you from the very beginning.

this may get awkward.

#IceSnowSlushStormageddonWatch2022

here's what we're tracking this week. 1/ RAIN: wednesday's temps and precipitation come at a time when the ground is snow-covered and frozen, which means sewers will be hit hard by runoff that has nowhere else to go.

our plant ops staff prep equipment, ensure backup systems are online, and prepare for higher flow. 2/

we’re not going to quote MLK in this tweet.

his legacy means more than that. we are committed to what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy represents.

"A New Beginning: Choose Your Own Career Adventure"

1
The beep of the microwave rouses you from your sleepy state. Sliding your chair away from the kitchen table, your slippered feet scuffle to the half-full mug of coffee you've reheated for the third time.

Mornings are tough. 2
Your recent mornings have gone from hopeful routine to draining monotony, and even the "Hang In There!" kitty mug you're holding is no longer the humorous motivator it once was.

You sigh and take a sip.

It's a bitter blend, just like the day ahead. Perhaps.