Tega Cay committee prioritizes 'Adopt a Drain' pilot and outlines mapping, outreach and tracking steps

The Tega Cay Stormwater and Environmental Committee on Sept. 8 agreed to prioritize an "Adopt a Drain" pilot program and outlined concrete next steps to map drains, recruit community partners and track adoptees.

Chairwoman Heather Jones said the committee will narrow the geographic scope for initial data work so the stormwater drain dataset is manageable; she will include Secretary Lauren Kohut in follow-up communications with contractor Tim Gilette and will coordinate corrections to greenspace mapping drawn from York County data. Staff member Ben Buchanan told the committee establishing an Adopt a Drain program "would likely be quick to establish," and members agreed to make it the committee’s initial focus.

The committee proposed a staged rollout starting in historic Tega Cay and concentrating on a few neighborhoods at a time, with two stated goals: community education about stormwater pollution and volunteer maintenance of storm drains. To move the pilot forward the committee listed six immediate tasks: create a map of drain locations; identify community groups (for example, scouts) to help launch the program; determine pricing and procurement for drain markers; develop strategies for tracking adoptees in coordination with city staff; review Fort Mill and Rock Hill stormwater program pages for ideas; and contact the Garrison about promotion.

Committee member Jerry Church flagged a separate, related possibility to develop an Adopt a Stream program and noted a Freshwater Monitoring Workshop as a resource. Vice Chairwoman Maureen Norcutt volunteered to attend the Fort Mill workshop on Oct. 4 and report back; the committee agreed to pursue a formal Adopt a Stream program only after the Adopt a Drain pilot is under way.

There was no new business and no public comment during the meeting. The committee approved the July 14, 2025 meeting minutes on a motion by Vice Chairwoman Maureen Norcutt, seconded by Jerry Church, and later adjourned at 6:56 P.M. on a motion by Church, seconded by Secretary Kohut; both motions passed unanimously.

Next steps for the committee include narrowing the dataset for mapping, coordinating map corrections with York County data, assembling the drain map and outreach plan, and preparing cost estimates for markers and tracking. Vice Chairwoman Norcutt is expected to report back on the Oct. 4 freshwater monitoring workshop to inform the committee’s approach to stream monitoring and volunteer training.