PAINESVILLE – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District and Lake County Utilities at a ceremonial ribbon cutting event to celebrate a recently completed project at the Lake County Raw Water Pump Station in Painesville. Specifically, the ceremony celebrated the completion of a 600-foot revetment wall that was necessary to protect the county’s pump station from damage caused by continued erosion. Additional attendees at the event included USACE Buffalo District Commander Lt. Col. Jason Toth, Lake County Sanitary Engineer Randy Rothlisberger, USACE Buffalo District Project Manager Chris Akios, and Lake County Commissioners John Hamercheck, Jerry Cirino and Ron Young.

 

“I was proud to work alongside Lake County officials and the Army Corps of Engineers to get this project off the ground back in 2018 and was honored to join them today to celebrate its completion,” said Joyce. “By safeguarding the Lake County Raw Water Pump Station from erosion, this 600-foot stone revetment enables us to better protect critical infrastructure that roughly 40,000 Northeast Ohioans depend on for clean water.”

 

For the second straight year, Lake Erie set a monthly high mean water level in May, which marked the fourth straight month of high water levels in the lake. According to the USACE, Lake Erie has been above its monthly average since November 2015. These high water levels have contributed to ongoing erosion damage to shoreline communities in Northeast Ohio and their critical infrastructure, such as the Lake County Raw Water Pump Station. Without this new revetment, the shoreline in Painesville would have continued to erode, subjecting the County’s raw water pumping station to increased risk of structural failure, including the raw water intake piping.

 

“As Lake Erie continues to experience high water levels, coastal erosion is devastating shoreline communities in Ohio’s 14th Congressional District,” said Joyce. “As co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, I will continue working with federal, state, and local agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, to prioritize funding for these projects and provide relief to our coastal communities.”

 

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