Goodbye, Shaker Lakes? Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District recommends draining Lower Shaker Lake in stunning reversal

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District on Wednesday abruptly reversed years of public statements and recommended removing the Lower Shaker Lake Dam as part of its effort to restore the Doan Brook Watershed.

The move, first made public Wednesday by Ideastream and then by the district on its website, would dry up the last of the prominent century-old manmade lakes and risks reigniting a firestorm in the two communities where residents launched a public campaign and legal battle to try to stop the draining of Horseshoe Lake years ago.

“People are going to be really upset about this,” Cleveland Heights City Council President Tony Cuda said in a phone interview Thursday.

Cuda, who said he was surprised to learn the district changed its recommendation, believes many residents would not have gone along with draining Horseshoe Lake if they knew the district would turn around and push for getting rid of Lower Shaker Lake, as well.

“Whatever [the sewer district] knows about the lower lake now, they certainly knew about it two years ago, three years ago,” Cuda said. “Nothing’s changed. Not with the lower lake.”

In a statement to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, a sewer district spokeswoman cited several reasons for the change, including that the sewer district received a more detailed, updated cost estimate for rebuilding the dam and keeping the lake that went from $13.6 million to $43.4 million, while removing the dam would cost $37.6 million.

The district also received updated flooding models for the downstream University Circle neighborhood that showed keeping the dam and lake would do little to reduce flooding during significant weather events.

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