Adopter's Guide
Twice a month, clean around your storm drain.
Safety first! Here's how:
• Gather your supplies:
• Your safety vest
• Your broom and a dustpan
• Your gloves
• Your choice of bucket or bag to put removed material in
• Think "safety first"
Wear the safety vest provided. If possible, have a second person join you; the person wearing the vest should remain standing and vigilantly watch traffic while the other performs the cleaning. Remember: When your head is down, it is tough to keep your eyes on approaching cars.
• Never remove the grate
Clean only the surface and around the grate. Never attempt to remove the grate or reach inside. (If the drain seems plugged, contact the city, town, or village’s public works department.)
• Busy streets
It is best to adopt drains on local residential streets. Avoid busy streets.
• "Only rain down the drain"
Clear the curb area and the sidewalk around the storm drain to keep pollutants from washing into the drain during rain events.
• Weigh your collected material for reporting
If you don’t have a scale, feel free to estimate the weight.
• Separate and dispose of material collected:
• Recyclable materials in a recycle bin
• Compost leaves, grass, and sticks
• Everything else in the trash
• Report your work
Click on the map and select “reporting cleaning activity.” Fill in the date of your collection, then the weight and type of materials collected.
• Well done!
You have made a difference for your community!
News: Adopt-A-Drain Dispatch
Winter 2023-24 newsletter
