Lacey urges residents to 'Adopt a Drain' to reduce street flooding

A City of Lacey staff member urged residents to clear leaves from neighborhood storm drains and consider volunteering for the Adopt a Drain program to help prevent localized flooding and protect Puget Sound.

"Issues surrounding storm drains in the city really are multifaceted," the staff member said, noting that seasonal leaf fall is a common cause of clogged drains and localized flooding. The speaker advised residents to "rake those leaves away from your drains and then throw them away to help prevent immediate flooding or other issues in your area or neighborhood."

Adopt a Drain, the speaker said, "was initially started in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Hamline University," and asks volunteers to identify a storm drain where they live or work, give it a name, and register it on a GIS map. "Part of the adoption process involves giving it a fun name, and you identify it on a GIS map," the staff member said. The announcement emphasized that cleaning is simple: volunteers can "rake or sweep away whatever is over your storm drain."

The speaker framed the program as a way for residents who "care about the clean, beautiful neighborhood that you live in and the waters that feed into Puget Sound" to take practical steps to reduce neighborhood flooding and improve local water quality. For more information, the speaker directed listeners to "the City of Lacey's website" and to streamteam.info for additional participation options and resources.

The announcement provided steps residents can take immediately (remove leaves and debris from drains) and pointed to online resources for signing up and mapping adopted drains. No formal action or vote was recorded in the meeting transcript.