Want to help your city weather the next storm? Adopt a drain

Rising rain events are overwhelming city systems. The unlikely fix? Ordinary people claiming storm drains, naming them, and checking on them like houseplants.

Some parts of the West have already experienced a brief taste of winter. From San Francisco to San Diego, a potent October low-pressure system brought an unusually early start to the wet season, with the National Weather Service issuing its first severe thunderstorm watch in Los Angeles since January 2008. Meanwhile, Phoenix recorded five consecutive days with at least 0.10 of an inch of rain from Oct. 9-13, tying the longest streak of light rainfall in city history and the first in over a century.

In the midst of some historic weather, enter Adopt-a-Drain San Francisco, a program of San Francisco Water Power Sewer. The premise is simple: The city has roughly 25,000 storm drains. Those drains get clogged. Adopt a Drain allows residents to adopt them. No, you don't have to feed it or change its diaper like those awkward baby doll caretaking assignments in elementary school. You just have to give it a clever name and promise to check in on it.

San Franciscans have taken to the idea. So far, more than 7,250 drains across the city have been adopted. Drains around the city now sport names like Lana del Drain, It's Draining Men, and Thirsty Boi. Once signed up, drain denizens pledge to inspect and clear their assigned grate a few times a month, more frequently during storms. The city provides safety tips, reflective vests upon request, and a digital tracking map, allowing you to monitor whether your beloved drain is being properly cared for.

San Francisco is hardly alone in its mission to mobilize residents. Adopt-a-Drain programs exist in dozens of cities, from Minneapolis to Atlanta. In many cities, residents can choose to name their drain or let the city assign them one at random, like a Hogwarts house sorting ceremony, but for sludge.

In Draper, Utah, a town of approximately 50,000 residents south of Salt Lake City, around 170 drains have been adopted, but more than 1,000 remain unclaimed. Local officials recommend that adopters wear gloves, sturdy shoes, face oncoming traffic, and always dispose of the buildup properly.

Beating back flooding, and more

Storm drains serve as the unsung heroes of municipal infrastructure, keeping streets passable and preventing basements from flooding and transforming into indoor ponds. The Adopt-a-Drain program was developed by the Center for Global Environmental Education and the Metro Watershed Partners in 2014 and has been implemented in over 150 jurisdictions across the country. Since its implementation, the program has led to over 950,000 lbs of debris being kept from local bodies of water.

In cities like Portland or Burlington, one good gust and storm drains get buried under drifts of maple leaves, turning entire neighborhoods into slip-and-slide zones. In coastal cities such as Miami or New Orleans, keeping drains clear helps prevent seawater from flooding streets during high tides, a risk that grows as sea levels continue to rise. In desert metropolises like Phoenix or Las Vegas, rain is uncommon but can be intense. Clogged drains during a summer monsoon event can turn a roadway into a jet-ski course.

Some cities sweeten the deal with incentives. In San Francisco, drain adopters are entered into periodic raffles for local goodies. In some towns, kids can earn community service hours for drain maintenance.

So the next time a storm rolls in, consider donning some gloves and going to greet your neighborhood drainage unit. Give it a name. Check on it now and then and show some love to the infrastructure beneath your feet.

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