Dugway Brook Watershed
Encyclopedia
The Dugway Brook Watershed is a nine-square mile basin
in Cleveland, Ohio
and its east side suburbs, draining storm runoff into Dugway Brook and feeding into Lake Erie
. Dugway Brook is one of the five “bluestone
brooks” of Cuyahoga County
, also including Dean Brook, Euclid Creek, Nine-Mile Creek, and Doan Brook, and their watersheds emptying into Lake Erie.
Along with the other bluestone brooks, the east and west branches of Dugway Brook were formed about 14,000 years ago during the last glacial period, near the end of the Wisconsin glaciation
, and originated in what is now University Heights
, descending and meandering roughly parallel in a northwesterly direction, then passing through Cleveland Heights
, East Cleveland
, and the City of Cleveland, where the two branches merge at a point just south of what is now Interstate 90
. Dugway Brook then cuts northerly through the shoreline suburb of Bratenahl
as a single watercourse, finally discharging into Lake Erie.
Dugway Brook is now an almost entirely enclosed culvert
ed watercourse, running in its natural channel under and alongside streets and city parks built around it. The brook appears to have been culverted over a century ago, partly because of the nuisance of septic
contamination to nearby residents. This contamination became a concern of the Ohio State Board of Health, which in 1914 ordered the City of Cleveland to improve the sewer system involved by 1916, before the upstream suburbs experienced dense development.
Culverting also maximized the development potential of surrounding land. About 94% of the watershed is now developed, with mostly mid-density housing. Approximately 45% of the watershed is in Cleveland Heights, while less than 5% involves Bratenahl, Shaker Heights and South Euclid combined. A portion of Dugway Brook’s content is overflow from sanitary sewer lines and illicit discharge.
The west branch of Dugway Brook passes through Cleveland Heights as an open channel at several points within a mile south of and inside historic Lake View Cemetery
, founded in 1869. The cemetery quarried Euclid bluestone
, a desirable, dense, finely-grained and easily-cut variety of sandstone, from the part of the brook situated in Cleveland Heights. Bluestone from the cemetery quarry was used to construct buildings in the cemetery, a massive wall on the western (Mayfield Road) side of the cemetery, steps leading to the tops of small hills, and other structures. Quarrymen worked with picks, iron bars, and other hand tools, and used dynamite. Little stone was wasted; at least during part of the twentieth century, a stone crusher, positioned on a basal layer of stone flooring the quarry, was used to crush scraps to be used as foundations for cemetery monuments. The quarry here was active until the mid-1930s.
In 1975, trustees of Lake View Cemetery sued the cities of University Heights and Cleveland Heights to stop their sewer expansions upstream to the south, anticipating worsening of the flooding of the west branch caused by heavy rains. The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas had recently ordered the creation of the Cleveland Regional Sewer District (now the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District). With the cemetery’s contribution of 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of its land, the District constructed the massive concrete Lake View Cemetery Flood Control Dam in 1978 at an initial cost of $6,300,000.00, in spite of public criticism that the scope and cost of this solution far exceeded the severity of the problem. At the time of its completion, it was the largest concrete dam located east of the Mississippi River
.
The east branch of Dugway Brook is visible from Cedar Road in University Heights as a short open channel, before passing under Cain Park, Cumberland Park, and passing under and openly cutting through what is now Forest Hill Park
, once the summer estate of John D. Rockefeller
. Rockefeller also quarried parts of Dugway Brook for the Euclid bluestone he used to construct some of the small bridges and other structures on Forest Hill.
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and its east side suburbs, draining storm runoff into Dugway Brook and feeding into Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. Dugway Brook is one of the five “bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
brooks” of Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...
, also including Dean Brook, Euclid Creek, Nine-Mile Creek, and Doan Brook, and their watersheds emptying into Lake Erie.
Along with the other bluestone brooks, the east and west branches of Dugway Brook were formed about 14,000 years ago during the last glacial period, near the end of the Wisconsin glaciation
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
, and originated in what is now University Heights
University Heights, Ohio
University Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It borders Beachwood to the east, Cleveland Heights to the west, South Euclid to the north and Shaker Heights to the south. The population was 13,539 as of the 2010 Census...
, descending and meandering roughly parallel in a northwesterly direction, then passing through Cleveland Heights
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The city's population was 46,121 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cleveland Heights is located at ....
, East Cleveland
East Cleveland, Ohio
East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 17,843 at the 2010 census....
, and the City of Cleveland, where the two branches merge at a point just south of what is now Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
. Dugway Brook then cuts northerly through the shoreline suburb of Bratenahl
Bratenahl, Ohio
Bratenahl is a wealthy village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is bordered by the city of Cleveland on three sides and by the shoreline of Lake Erie to the north. The population was 1,197 at the 2010 census...
as a single watercourse, finally discharging into Lake Erie.
Dugway Brook is now an almost entirely enclosed culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
ed watercourse, running in its natural channel under and alongside streets and city parks built around it. The brook appears to have been culverted over a century ago, partly because of the nuisance of septic
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
contamination to nearby residents. This contamination became a concern of the Ohio State Board of Health, which in 1914 ordered the City of Cleveland to improve the sewer system involved by 1916, before the upstream suburbs experienced dense development.
Culverting also maximized the development potential of surrounding land. About 94% of the watershed is now developed, with mostly mid-density housing. Approximately 45% of the watershed is in Cleveland Heights, while less than 5% involves Bratenahl, Shaker Heights and South Euclid combined. A portion of Dugway Brook’s content is overflow from sanitary sewer lines and illicit discharge.
The west branch of Dugway Brook passes through Cleveland Heights as an open channel at several points within a mile south of and inside historic Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery is located on the east side of the City of Cleveland, Ohio, along the East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights borders. There are over 104,000 people buried at Lake View, with more than 700 burials each year. There are remaining for future development. Known locally as "Cleveland's...
, founded in 1869. The cemetery quarried Euclid bluestone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, a desirable, dense, finely-grained and easily-cut variety of sandstone, from the part of the brook situated in Cleveland Heights. Bluestone from the cemetery quarry was used to construct buildings in the cemetery, a massive wall on the western (Mayfield Road) side of the cemetery, steps leading to the tops of small hills, and other structures. Quarrymen worked with picks, iron bars, and other hand tools, and used dynamite. Little stone was wasted; at least during part of the twentieth century, a stone crusher, positioned on a basal layer of stone flooring the quarry, was used to crush scraps to be used as foundations for cemetery monuments. The quarry here was active until the mid-1930s.
In 1975, trustees of Lake View Cemetery sued the cities of University Heights and Cleveland Heights to stop their sewer expansions upstream to the south, anticipating worsening of the flooding of the west branch caused by heavy rains. The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas had recently ordered the creation of the Cleveland Regional Sewer District (now the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District). With the cemetery’s contribution of 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of its land, the District constructed the massive concrete Lake View Cemetery Flood Control Dam in 1978 at an initial cost of $6,300,000.00, in spite of public criticism that the scope and cost of this solution far exceeded the severity of the problem. At the time of its completion, it was the largest concrete dam located east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
The east branch of Dugway Brook is visible from Cedar Road in University Heights as a short open channel, before passing under Cain Park, Cumberland Park, and passing under and openly cutting through what is now Forest Hill Park
Forest Hill Park (Cuyahoga County, Ohio)
Forest Hill Park is a historic urban park located in East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Two-thirds of the park lie in East Cleveland, and the remaining third is in Cleveland Heights. The park has three baseball diamonds, tennis courts and walking trails that have retained the natural...
, once the summer estate of John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
. Rockefeller also quarried parts of Dugway Brook for the Euclid bluestone he used to construct some of the small bridges and other structures on Forest Hill.