The North Fork Crow River Watershed District and the City of Paynesville have partnered with Adopt a Drain to protect our local waterways. The program allows residents to take regular, sustained action to prevent localized flooding and reduce runoff pollution by clearing storm drains in their neighborhood.

Participants sign up for the program online at Adopt-a-Drain.org to create an account that allows them to adopt and name drains and report the amount of debris they collect.

It’s clear that trash, road salt, and chemicals harm lakes and streams, but it may be less obvious why “natural” debris like leaves, grass, and dirt are also harmful. When it rains, debris washes into storm drains that flow directly into the nearest lake or river. Decaying leaves and grass release nutrients like phosphorus into the water which feeds excess growth of algae.

When the surface of a lake or river is covered in green algae, it prevents oxygen from reaching native plants and animals. When you adopt a drain, you prevent harmful pollutants of all kinds from entering bodies of water. Sweeping up around drains will help create a healthier habitat for everything that depends on our waterways.

The Public Works Department works hard to keep the city streets clean, but they can’t be everywhere all the time. Adopt a Drain compliments city efforts to manage surface water and allows citizens to mobilize themselves to keep the waterways as clean as possible.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Adopt as many storm drains as you would like in your neighborhood at mn.adopt-a-drain.org
Step 2: Clean out your drain(s)
Step 3: Estimate the type and pounds (or gallons) of debris collected and submit the data to track on your online account: mn.adopt-a-drain.org/dashboard