Adopt a what…????
Did you know that in San Francisco, that residents can adopt a storm drain?
Seriously. Okay… The Original Surfers is going, shall we say…. down the drain?
Go with me here. Give me the good ole, The Original Surfers break….
Back to our previously scheduled story…
Why would you want to adopt a storm drain?
Why would you want to be a storm drain parent?
Let me tell you about what they do in San Francisco.
According to news reports there are 4,500 people in San Francisco that are known as “drain adopters.” The City of San Francisco started the program in 2016. The idea is before big storms (and during/ after) big storms, that the drain adopters will clear the storm drains of debris, so they flow better and they minimize flooding.
The benefit to the City is they safe a ton of money in drain storm maintenance. And there is much less flooding because of it. It’s also a way to give back to the City.
Not to rain on the parade – pun intended – but some folks suggest that the program still can’t prevent SF’s “antiquate sewers” from flooding. Which, of course, is true.
But, by all accounts it lessons the flooding.
You might as well have fun with your storm drain
And, did I mention it’s fun? At least the way SF is doing it.
As MacKenzie Elmer reported in Voice of San Diego, people get to name their drain. And, as you might expect in SF, well, “….with such strokes of genius as “Drain’t Misbehavin’” named after the Fats Waller hit, or “A Hard Drain’s Gonna Fall,” a nod to the infamous Bob Dylan ode. Some drains, as you might expect, are named things that are downright naughty. But instead of trash-clogged storm drains and road flooding, the streets of San Francisco are littered with wordsmithing.”
But, it’s more than just fun, explains SFGate’s, Tesse Mclean, “You feel very close to your drain. You’ve named it, you feel responsible for its well-being and you feel guilty if it doesn’t behave itself because you’ve neglected it,” Heidhues said with a laugh. “It’s like being a parent almost.”
So what do you say, shall we try a San Diego Adopt a Drain Program?
What do you guys think?