Lick Run Creek Greenway: Using Green Solutions to Build Bridges Within a Community

Conceptualized in 2006 and completed in early 2021, the Lick Run Greenway in Cincinnati, OH, is a unique example of how a community and a wastewater utility can work together on a creative, green solution for sewer overflows. On the surface, the Lick Run Greenway looks like a park with a stream running through it, but this stormwater management/combined sewer overflows (CSO) reduction project eliminates 800 million gallons of CSOs annually into the Mill Creek, which in 1997 was named the most endangered urban waterway in America. In 2006, the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) began working on a Wet Weather Program with a focused solution for the Mill Creek. The original project was a purely gray concept: a CSO storage tunnel. MSD proposed a green alternative that would not only meet the same CSO reduction goals at a reduced cost but also help revitalize a disadvantaged community. MSD deliberately selected and brought the project to South Fairmount, a low-income, transient neighborhood that was once a thriving community. The basis of the project was could we fix an environmental problem while also reinvigorating a neighborhood. From the beginning, the project sought to not only to inform local residents, but to engage them in the decision-making process, including historic/cultural mitigation and a series of community design workshops that led to a Master Plan. During construction, MSD continued to engage through public meetings, tours, neighborhood briefings, social media, website, media coverage, and monthly drone flyover videos showing construction progress. MSD additionally developed a series of educational signs on the cultural history of South Fairmount and ecological benefits of the project. The signage was also converted into a virtual experience for visitors through the Lick Run Heritage Trail website. As the project neared completion, MSD turned its attention to how to make the park welcoming, clean, and safe for visitors and a resource for outdoor and environmental education. In early 2021, MSD rolled out the Lick Run Greenway Ambassador program, which includes an Adopt-A-Spot program, hiring local youths through a partnership with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) and Groundwork Ohio River Valley to welcome visitors and help beautify the Greenway, and designing an anti-litter campaign. MSD also began working closely with the South Fairmount Community Council and Cincinnati Recreation Commission to help bring programming to the Greenway. In early summer 2021, MSD hired a college co-op to create and host weekly interactive, pop-up environmental education events geared toward children. The intern also created partnerships with the Queen City Pollinator Project and Cincinnati Red Bike. During the summer of 2021, MSD hosted a number of programs for the community at large, including an inaugural 5K run/walk, a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert, a community-wide cleanup, and a Pumpkin Fest. Planning for 2022 is already underway, with the intent of bringing more programming and more environmental education to the South Fairmount community. The South Fairmount community has embraced the Lick Run Greenway, and MSD has embraced the challenge of helping revitalize this neighborhood.