Adopt-a-Drain Campaign Gains Ground on the Hill

Lowry Hill residents who sign up through Adopt-a-Drain agree to keep a nearby storm drain clear of the leaves, trash and sediment that would otherwise wash untreated into Lake of the Isles and the rest of the Chain of Lakes. The city frames the commitment as about 15 minutes twice a month.

The program passed a milestone in November 2025, when the statewide network it belongs to reported volunteers had cleared more than one million pounds of leaves, trash and sediment since 2015. Minneapolis is the largest single participant: city figures put local sign-ups at more than 4,100 residents who have adopted about 8,300 drains, more than a fifth of the program's national total.

The water-quality logic is direct. In Minneapolis every storm drain empties into a lake, a creek or the Mississippi River without treatment, so what collects on a grate on the hill heads downstream toward water residents swim in and paddle on. Leaves and grass clippings carry phosphorus, which feeds the algae that turn lakes green; salt, sediment and lawn chemicals add to the load. Clearing a grate does not catch all of it, but it keeps the worst debris out of the system one corner at a time.

The Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association folds the effort into its stewardship messaging and posts seasonal reminders for participants (lowryhillneighborhood.org). For organizers, the appeal is that it turns a diffuse worry about lake health into something finite a resident can do this weekend, and pairing adoptions with neighborhood cleanup days has given the campaign a steady rhythm. Residents can claim an open drain at mn.adopt-a-drain.org.