SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Residents who have vowed to fight the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s proposal to drain Horseshoe Lake and Lower Shaker Lake fired their first legal shot Tuesday, formally warning local governments that any work on the lakes without proper permits would be unlawful.

In a legal notice delivered to officials in Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland, three residents wrote that the district is preparing to begin major earthmoving and hydrologic work without completing required federal and state environmental reviews.

They say the district lacks Clean Water Act authorization, state water-quality certification, and a completed federal historic review for the lakes, collectively known as the Shaker Lakes.

“Any physical alteration, vegetation clearin

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