It isn’t a competition, but if it were a competition, Woodbury is leading the pack in Washington County, and Minnesota is miles ahead of the other states participating in the Adopt a Storm Drain program.
Launched in 2014 as a partnership between the City of St. Paul and Capitol Region Watershed District, the Adopt a Drain program was developed as a fun and unique way to engage community residents in helping to prevent stormwater pollution. Volunteers sign up to “adopt” storm drains in their neighborhoods and agree to spend a few minutes each month picking up the garbage and debris near their drains. An online interface makes it easy to find adoptable drains and report cleanings.
In 2019, Hamline University and the Watershed Partners expanded Adopt a Drain to include the entire Twin Cities metro. Today, the program is available across Minnesota, as well as in ten other states. As a testament to the program’s popularity, Minnesotans have adopted an astounding 24,523 storm drains and report collecting 769,210 lbs of debris, which would have otherwise been washed into lakes, rivers and streams.
In Washington County, Woodbury is leading the pack in overall number of storm drain adoptions (261 drains adopted), followed by Stillwater (245 drains adopted) and then Mahtomedi (169 drains adopted). If you look at the number of adopted drains compared to population size, Mahtomedi leads, followed by Stillwater, and then Lake Elmo. In Chisago County, where the program just arrived in 2022, Chisago City leads with 43 drains adopted, followed by Lindstrom (25 drains adopted) and then Center City (20 drains adopted).
Of course, it’s not actually a competition, but winning is always nice.
Storm drains help to protect urban areas from flooding by quickly draining rain and melting snow off of roads and parking lots. After it goes down the drain, water is carried away to lakes and rivers via an underground network of pipes. Unlike wastewater, which is treated at a plant before being discharged to the Mississippi or St. Croix Rivers, stormwater often flows directly into lakes and rivers without any filtration at all. As a result, everything from yard waste, to dog poop, litter, sand and winter salt can end up in our water.
You can help to keep Minnesota’s water clean by volunteering just 15-minutes, twice a month, through the Adopt a Drain program. Simply go online to www.adopt-a-drain.org and look for an adoptable drain near you. To dispose of the waste you collect, separate it into three categories and place it in the appropriate receptacles: trash, recyclables (glass and plastic bottles, cans) and compostables (leaves and grass clippings). Sediment collected in the spring contains winter road salt and should be put in the trash.
Remember, it’s not a competition. But if it were a competition, it sure would be nice to win!
East Metro Water 