Joint city councils confer with ODNR on fate of Lower Shaker Lake and dam

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) appear receptive to the concept of an alternate “water feature” that could replace the dam at Lower Shaker Lake.

But they would have to see a plan before assessing the merits any further.

The latest assessment — conducted two years ago — is still a failing one for a Class I dam, as it has been since ODNR started regulating the structures in 1979.

State officials presented various issues and answered questions Tuesday (Nov. 18) in a joint work session with Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights city councils.

Both municipalities lease the parkland from the City of Cleveland and serve as the “owners” of the Shaker Lakes dams and infrastructure.

Both mayors requested the meetings after the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) announced in July that it was issuing a “revised recommendation” on the fate of Lower Shaker Lake.

This came four years after both councils formally agreed to an offer from the sewer district to remove Horseshoe Lake and dam, reintroducing two branches of Doan Brook across the floodplain.

At the same time, NEORSD agreed to refortify Lower Lake’s dam and hinted at dredging — a subject that did not come up at Tuesday’s work session.

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