Friends of Sugar Creek plans to grow the Adopt a Storm Drain program through funding from Tipmont REMC’s EnviroWatts initiative.
Tipmont awarded the nonprofit a $3,650 grant to cover promotional expenses for the program, in which residents sign up to clean out nearby drains and submit online reports of the debris or damage.
Since 2020, 112 drains have been adopted in Crawfordsville and FSC wants to quadruple that number. There are at least 1,200 drains in the city limits. The organization hopes to expand the program countywide in the next year or so.
Maintaining the drains keeps leaves, grass clippings, fertilizer, pet waste and other debris from polluting the creek. Eligible drains are listed on an interactive map and inspected by the city after each cleaning. The map does not include drains on state and federal highways due to safety concerns from higher traffic.
FSC partners with the Crawfordsville Street and Sanitation Department, Montgomery County Mapping Department and Indiana American Water for the program.
The EnviroWatts program previously funded FSC’s new fleet of canoes and a transport vehicle, which are used during creek clean-up days and other activities. The next clean-up event is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, with participants meeting at the canoe launch site on Lafayette Avenue.
The latest funding will cover radio and newspaper advertising. “This will allow us to further expand [the program] and get the word out to more people,” said Ed Fain, FSC board president.
For more information about how to participate, visit mocoadoptadrain.info
