Designing for Downpours: Stormwater Construction

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Rainfall can turn some roads into rivers. Construction Supervisor Joel Hill explains how his team keeps neighborhoods dry using basins, culverts, and stream restoration projects to manage downpours. Joel brings a rare perspective with his decade-plus working on massive tunnel projects and his pivot to the stormwater side of the Sewer District's work.

We discuss hydrologic forecasts that shape project designs and stream morphology, and spotlight some local projects in Maple Heights and Parma that have brought relief to once-flooded roadways.

If you care about flood mitigation, resilient infrastructure, and how precise design decisions ripple into safer streets, this conversation offers practical insights and hard-won lessons from the field.