Missoula launches 'Adopt a Drain' campaign to curb stormwater pollution

Marie Nelson, the City of Missoula stormwater program specialist, said Missoula has more than "8,000 storm drains" and described the new "adopt a drain" program as a way for residents to reduce polluted runoff into local waterways.

Nelson told the Sustainability Slam audience that stormwater "runs wild" over streets, rooftops and parking lots and that most storm drains "go straight into our waterways," carrying trash and other pollutants with them. She framed each drain as "like a mouth to the river," saying the city cannot fix the entire system overnight and needs volunteer help now.

The program lets residents select a drain on a map, "clear it, care for it, keep an eye on it, give it a name," Nelson said. She emphasized simple maintenance — keeping leaves and debris out — and encouraged community stewardship as a complementary step while longer‑term green infrastructure is planned. Nelson noted green infrastructure such as wetlands and bioswales are preferred but acknowledged the scale of the problem requires immediate community action.

The talk was presented as a public call to action rather than a regulatory change; Nelson did not state funding levels, legal mandates or specific city deadlines in the remarks heard at the event. Information about how to enroll in the adopt‑a‑drain program and a map will be available on the city's or the Office of Sustainability's webpage, she said.