Community Engagement and Storm Drain Stewardship with Adopt-a-Drain.org

Over a decade ago, after surveying existing stormwater stewardship programs and finding none that met community needs, the Metro Watershed Partners and Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education created the Adopt-a-Drain.org program. The main objectives of the program were to develop a public education and behavior change program around stormwater runoff pollution prevention. The program was developed using principles of environmental psychology to encourage behavior change in participants and allow member organizations to measure and report on engagement and debris removal. Adopt-a-Drain.org began as a pilot project in St. Paul, MN in 2014 and has been refined through focus groups, participant surveys, and member feedback. Now in its tenth year, the program has been implemented in over 100 jurisdictions across the country, has engaged over 17,000 and led to more than 850,000 pounds of debris being removed from storm drains. A focus on reaching underserved communities has led to the addition of a K-12 outreach component to the program which provides materials and professional support for teachers to integrate the Adopt-a-Drain program and information about nonpoint source pollution into their classroom curriculum, and encourage students and their families to adopt storm drains near their home. In 2024, Adopt-a-Drain.org received a WEF Public Communication & Outreach Program award. This presentation will explore the evolution, successes, challenges, and lessons learned over the past 10 years. We will emphasize how regional collaborations have helped a localized stormwater pilot project turn into a successful, award-winning behavior change program, and will include key takeaways for other community engagement projects in water resources.