Communities of the Future Advisory Committee (CFAC)
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) has embarked on a multi-year and multi-billion dollar program - known as Project Groundwork - to rebuild our sewer system and reduce or eliminate sewer overflows into local streams and rivers.
As part of this initiative, MSD is exploring a unique concept called "Communities of the Future," which integrates sustainable sewer infrastructure improvements with urban renewal in areas that experience high volume or frequent combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
To assist and guide MSD with the Community of the Future vision, a Community of the Future Advisory Committee (CFAC) was created in February 2010 as a forum for dialogue, discourse and counsel. Click here for the CFAC white paper.
First convened in March 2010, the committee is also directed to help MSD align with initiatives such as Hamilton County's Community Compass, Agenda 360: A Regional Action Plan and the upcoming City of Cincinnati's Comprehensive Plan Update.
The CFAC is comprised of representatives from a variety of public and private organizations, as well as private citizens, each providing their own unique perspectives and sharing ideas to help MSD engage with citizens and stakeholders within the watersheds in MSD's service area.
The group is primarily focused on the Lower Mill Creek watershed and its smaller subwatersheds, including Bloody Run, Denham, Kings Run, Lick Run, Ross Run and West Fork. The Lower Mill Creek watershed contributes more than 7 billion gallons or 50% of the total 11.5 billion gallons that overflow annually from combined sewers in Hamilton County.
Projects under evaluation generally involve the construction of sustainable stormwater infrastructure that remove natural drainage and stormwater from the combined sewer system in a watershed. This infrastructure can include dedicated underground stormwater sewers, low impact development such as rain gardens, rainwater harvesting system and pervious pavement and aboveground "daylighting" of a stream that had been enclosed or diverted into a combined sewer.
The CFAC meets quarterly at the MSD Administration Building, 1081 Woodrow Street (off Gest Street) in Lower Price Hill. On this site, we provide copies of meeting summaries and presentations and the meeting schedule.
If you have questions about the CFAC, please contact MaryLynn Lodor at marylynn.lodor@cincinnati-oh.gov or (513) 244-5535 or Dean Niemeyer of Hamilton County Planning & Development at dean.niemeyer@hamilton-co.gov or (513) 946-4487.