Adopt a Tangletown storm drain. Make it your own. Help keep our creeks, lakes, and rivers clean.
Why Is this Important?
A storm drain that works well drains off excess water to prevent flooding and water contamination. If a storm drain is clogged with debris, such as trash, leaves, or branches, it cannot function optimally. If the debris is washed down the drain, it is carried to local bodies of water without treatment. In Tangletown, the water drains directly to the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Creek, and Diamond Lake. You can check out where the storm drains on your block drain to on this map:
Trash is an obvious pollutant, but natural matter like leaves and grass become pollution as soon as they hit bodies of water. . When they get washed into a river, creek, or lake, they feed harmful algae. Not only does algae turn the water soupy and green, it kills off valuable habitat for fish and wildlife. The Environmental Working Group (a non-profit advocacy organization) found potentially harmful algae are a growing problem in US waterways, and the problem is getting worse (MPR Article 2018).
Here are some other links for information on storm drains:
https://www.adopt-a-drain.org/#why-adopt-a-drain
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/publicworks/stormwater/adoptadrain
Adopt-a-Drain
We are asking Tangletown residents to “Adopt a Storm Drain” to allow “ONLY RAIN IN THE DRAIN,” to keep our creeks, lakes, rivers, and neighborhoods clean. We would like to track and recognize your efforts, as well as provide free supplies to you for being good stewards of our environment.
Make your block storm drain your own. Name it and claim it!
To sign up:
- Go to https://www.adopt-a-drain.org/ and adopt your drain. Name it!
- Forward your confirmation email to info@tangletown.org
- We will provide you with free supplies for cleaning your drain (rubber gloves, a small rake-like tool, bags, and a rolling waste bin).
- We will recognize you and your drain in our next Tangletown newsletter.