Drain Cleaning

Drain Cleaning

Drain Clearing Safety Tips and More

Thank you for your interest in adopting one or more of San Francisco's 25,000+ storm drains (also called catch basins). By pledging to keep your drain free of leaves and debris, you are joining your neighbors in helping to protect the environment, manage stormwater, and minimize flooding.

How to Care For Your Adopted Drain

• If possible, clear the drain before it starts raining.
• Put leaves and other natural material in the green compost bin. Put trash in the black garbage bin.
• Clear about 10 feet on both sides of the drain.
• Medical waste or needles? Construction debris? Toxic materials? Report it to the City's Customer Service Center, 311 on the web(or dial 3-1-1).

Drain Cleaning Safety Tips

• Never try to lift the drain grate.
• Clear from the sidewalk, not the street.
• Wear reflective clothing so vehicles can see you.
• Always wear gloves and be careful of sharp objects!
• Use a rake, broom, or shovel - not your hands.

Remember, the City and County of San Francisco won't be held responsible for anything that happens to you or others in service of maintaining your drain. Please be careful!

Free Tools and Training

We invite drain adopters to periodic events during the rainy season where they can receive drain cleaning trainings and free tools and supplies. Please keep an eye on your email for notification of these events. You will also receive email reminders from the SFPUC to clear your drains when rain is expected.

Spread the Word!

Excited about the Adopt a Drain program? Want to encourage your coworkers, friends and neighbors to participate? Utilize social media to spread the word.

  

Remember to tag us @SFWater and to use the following hashtags: #DrainHero, #AdoptADrain and #SFSewer.

Volunteer Developer Opportunities

Are you a programmer with Ruby on Rails experience who wants to help improve and maintain the Adopt a Drain application? Don't be shy! We're always seeking assistance with the code! Get involved and follow our GitHub page.

Contact Us

Email questions and feedback to info@sfwater.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Volunteer Waiver and Release of Liability

I am voluntarily participating in the City of San Francisco’s Adopt a Drain program. I have read and agree to follow the Volunteer Guidelines, below. I acknowledge my participation in these events does not come without the risk of injury or harm; I accept this risk and assume responsibility for all liability and risk associated with my participation.

I agree to hold harmless, release, waive and forever discharge the City of San Francisco, its employees, departments, officers and agents, from any and all claims or demands I may have by reason of any accident, illness, injury, loss, destruction or damage to property, arising or resulting directly or indirectly from my participation in this activity. I further covenant not to bring any legal action against the City of San Francisco, its employees, departments, officers and agents, for any injury, loss or damage resulting from my participation in this activity.

This Waiver and Release is contractual and not a mere recital and applies whether or not injury or loss resulting from this activity is caused by an act or omission of the City, its employees, departments, officers or agents, negligent or otherwise.

This Waiver and Release is binding on my heirs, executors, administrators, assigns, and all of my family members, and applies to all losses, whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, related to my participation in this activity.

I hereby grant permission to the City of San Francisco to use photographs of me taken during this activity on its website and in other publications, at the City’s sole discretion and without further consideration.

Volunteer Guidelines

Thank you for your dedication to San Francisco! Your well-being and enjoyment are important to us. All volunteers are expected to conduct themselves in a safe, courteous and legal manner while participating in activities on City property or right-of-way. Please follow these guidelines:

General Safety

1. Wear appropriate footwear, clothing, sunscreen and eye protection (when necessary).
2. Keep hydrated.
3. Call 911 for emergencies.

Traffic Safety

1. When possible, stay out of the street.
2. When working in or around a gutter, work from the sidewalk.
3. If working near traffic, wear a bright reflective work vest or bright-colored clothing. x
4. Cross streets at signals or crosswalks, not mid-block.

Working Near Waterways

1. Always work with a partner near water.
2. Watch for poison oak and blackberry thorns.
3. Watch your footing on slopes and shorelines.
4. Never allow children to work on steep slopes or near shorelines without adult supervision.

Tool Safety

1. Do not use power tools.
2. Carry tools carefully to avoid hitting others.
3. Always use the right tools for the job. Ask a team leader or City staff if you are unsure.
4. Never allow children to play with tools or to use sharp tools.
5. Always keep your tools close to you.
6. Count and clean your tools after an activity/cleanup.
7. Return borrowed tools and supplies, as agreed.

Debris Removal

1. Always sweep, rake or shovel glass. Never pick up sharp objects with your hands.
2. Separate collected materials into recycling (blue), compost (green), and landfill (black) garbage bins.
3. To the extent practicable, place recyclables and smaller garbage bags into home refuse containers.
4. Contact San Francisco 311 by calling 3-1-1 for pickup of City-issued debris bags. Tell them the quantity of bags, type of debris and the nearest address.
5. Never touch hazardous or medical waste (including automotive fluids and hypodermic needles). Report items to the 311 Call Center or to a City employee, if present.

General Conduct

1. Always be courteous to fellow volunteers and City employees.
2. Never use vulgar language or engage in threatening or disruptive actions.
3. Never make unauthorized changes to City property or right-of-way, including landscaping.
4. Keep foreign mulch and soils off City property and right-of-way.

Note: The City reserves the right to immediately withdraw support for any volunteer if, at the sole discretion of the City, the volunteer’s conduct while participating in volunteer activities on City property or right-of-way is determined to be inconsistent with these Volunteer Guidelines or violates any local, state or federal law. Withdrawal of support may include repossession of loaned tools and revocation of related agreements.

https://sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=11040

Link to flyer on Adopt a Drain webpage. 1. When should I clear my drain? It's best to clear the drain before it starts raining to help prevent flooding, and after it rains to clean up any debris that has materialized. Once you sign up, you’ll receive periodic email notifications prior to large storms so you can clean your drain(s) before it rains. 2. What are the instructions on how to clear my drain?  If possible, clear the drain before it starts raining.  Put leaves and other natural material in the green compost bin. Put trash in the black garbage bin.  Clear about 10 feet on both sides of the drain.  Medical waste or needles? Construction debris? Drain clogged beneath the grate? Report it to the City's Customer Service Center, 311 (or dial 3-1-1). Please note that the city will not be responsible for any injuries or incidents that may occur while cleaning your drain. 3. How can I find out which drain I adopted? On the Adopt a Drain website, the “My drains” section contains the name and the address of the drain you have adopted. Your drain/s will appear on the map as orange icons. 4. What is the City doing to ensure that storm drains stay clear of debris? City crews deep clean between 5,000-9,000 catch basins each year using large vacuum trucks. The SFPUC operates and maintains 25,000+ storm drains and 1,000 miles of combined sewer pipes, which collect and treat sanitary sewage from homes and businesses as well as street runoff. 5. What are the colored dots on the sidewalks in front of the drains throughout the City? The dots signify that the Bicycle Courier Team for the SFPUC’s Mosquito Abatement Program has been to that location and used water soluble larvicide to ensure that the sewers are mosquito free. 6. How do I abandon a drain I have adopted? Click on orange icon for the drain you want to abandon and then click on “Abandon this drain” inside the message that appears. 7. How do I change the name of a drain I have adopted? The best way to change the name of your drain is to abandon your drain, readopt it and give it a new name. 8. What if there is a drain missing from the list of drains on the website? Our data is not always accurate about the 25K drains throughout San Francisco; we rely on people to inform us. Simply email us and we will update our database. Thank you! 9. Can I adopt a drain if I don’t have access to a computer? Yes, just email us at RainReadySF@sfwater.org or call (415) 554-3289 and notify us of the location of the drain you want to adopt and if you would like to give it a name. We will go online and adopt that specific drain for you so others know the drain has been claimed. 10. Is it possible to adopt a rain garden too? We do not currently have an official program that enables people to adopt rain gardens but we appreciate your interest! We would love to put you in touch with staff who are developing a program for residents to adopt other assets. Email us at RainReadySF@sfwater.org. 11. If I missed the VIP event, how can I get tools/supplies? Please email us at RainReadySF@sfwater.org. We might have another event scheduled soon, and will notify you of the date/time, otherwise let us know that you are requesting tools for Adopt a Drain and we may be able to coordinate a time for you to come to 525 Golden Gate Ave. and pick up supplies.