Adopt a Storm Drain & Protect Water
Did you know that everything that goes down the storm drain on your street ends up in our rivers, streams and even the ocean? Keeping drains clean also helps to reduce flooding in a storm. Adopting a drain is a fun community project that creates safer streets and healthier waterways for us and the fish!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Adopting a storm drain helps to keep your neighborhood stay clean, reduces flooding and protects our local waterways!
1Step 1: Choose a Drain
Your community may have a local program to sign up for, check with your city government or look in the resources below for information on local programs (if any). These programs designate which drains are in need of a caretaker so the community can strategically manage drain sites. If there isn’t a program to adopt a specific drain, you can identify a drain (or multiple) near your home to “adopt” and take care of.
2Step 2: Set a Schedule & Get Supplies
It takes only 15 minutes 2x a month to keep your storm drains clear! It can be helpful to create a calendar event every 2 weeks to remember your schedule. You might want some tools for cleaning your drain: a broom, a rake, a trash grabber, work gloves, an orange cone and/or safety vest, a dustpan, and a 5-gallon bucket or yard waste bag.
3Step 3: Clean Your Storm Drain & Stay Safe
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Clean only on top of the storm drain grate and the area around it. Never remove the grate or otherwise attempt to clean the inside. If the drain seems to be plugged or have any problem, contact city or county staff to address the issue.
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There could be something sharp or otherwise harmful near the drain, so wear work gloves to protect your hands and be careful when picking up leaves and trash. You might want to use a trash grabber to collect debris. Work with a friend, set up orange cones, or wear reflective clothing to make sure you are visible to cars. Do not stand or crouch on busy streets.
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It’s best to adopt drains on local residential streets. If you do adopt a drain on a street with lots of traffic, please stick to clearing trash and debris from the sidewalk and let city staff take care of the street and the surface of the storm drain.
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In addition to clearing the storm drain, clearing debris from streets and sidewalks is helpful since anything on pavement can wash into storm drains when it rains. Do your best to avoid sweeping debris into the drain.
4Step 4: Sort Your Collection
To dispose of waste, separate it into three categories and place it in the appropriate receptacle:
- Trash (litter, dirt, and grit)
- Clean recyclables (cans, glass and plastic bottles)
- Clean compostables (leaves, grass clippings, and sticks)
When in doubt, throw it in the trash. If there is A LOT of sediment near your drain, notify your city or county staff, as this may be an indicator of a bigger problem.
5Step 5: Pollution Prevention
There are things we can do beyond cleaning the drain to keep our waters clean and healthy. Rain washes anything that’s on streets and paved surfaces into our storm drains and rivers, lakes, creeks, and ultimately our ocean. Here are some basic tips to follow:
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Leaves, grass, and dirt contain phosphorus, which feeds the algae that turn lakes green. Keep them off streets and sidewalks, as they can ultimately get into the drains!
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Dog poop carries harmful bacteria and phosphorus. Picking up after your pet can keep this out of our waters!
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Salt is harmful to waterways and aquatic life. Just one teaspoon pollutes five gallons of water forever. If you place salt on your driveway or sidewalk to help with snow, use the minimum amount of salt necessary and sweep up leftover salt and reuse it, or choose to shovel your snow instead.
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Chemicals in fertilizers or pesticides will runoff into waterways. Minimizing the use of toxic chemicals on our lawns will help our health and the health of our water as well!
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Oil from our cars or soap from washing the car (or the dog) in the driveway also pollutes waterways if it goes down the drain. Capture and recycle oil if you are changing your oil at home and keep soap and other chemicals off the sidewalks.
Share these tips with neighbors on your blocks and beyond, together we can keep our waterways clean and healthy!