I am voluntarily participating in Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc.’s Adopt Your Drain program. I have read and agree to follow the Volunteer Guidelines, below and as you click on "What Does it Mean To Adopt Your Drain?" on https://adoptyourdrain.com. 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 Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc (also referred to as the Trust in this document)., its employees, officers, and partners, 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 Trust, Inc., its employees, officers, and partners, 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 Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc., its employees, officers, and partners, 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 Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc. to use photographs of me taken during volunteer events on its website and in other publications, at the Trust’s sole discretion and without further consideration.

Last updated March 2nd, 2019.

Volunteer Guidelines

Thank you for your dedication to southeastern Wisconsin! 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 municipal or county 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 vegetation that may cause skin irritation or other bodily harm (eg. poison ivy, poison oak, wild parsnip, etc.).
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 or other professional 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. Never touch hazardous or medical waste (including automotive fluids and hypodermic needles). Visit your municipality’s website to find the appropriate contact for reporting this type of debris.

General Conduct

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

Note: Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc. reserves the right to immediately withdraw support for any volunteer if, at the sole discretion of the Trust, the volunteer’s conduct while participating in volunteer activities on municipal or county 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.

Adopting your drain is an important step towards protecting our watersheds. Debris like litter, oil, leaves, fertilizer and other pollutants often enter our local waterways because in many areas our storm drains are a direct path to streams and rivers. Cleaning out storm drains, and the areas around these drains can help to minimize the amount of pollutants that make it to our lakes, rivers and streams. Every drain counts!

Step by Step guide to Adopting Your Drain

1. Log onto adoptyourdrain.com

   Use the search bar to look up your address and select a drain near you! Then finish filling out the required information, and you've officially adopted a drain!

2. Keep it clean!

   We ask our adopters to regularly clean out their drains while practicing proper safety measures. See below for more details!

3. Track your progress!

   Keep track of the materials you've collected, and how much the material weighs (if possible). Also take note of how much time you spend collecting! We would love to have our adopters report the progress they are making. When you select your drain, you should see a space for you to provide this information.

How should I care for my drain?

How often should drains be cleaned out?

Ideally, drains should be cleared before and after a rainfall event, but even if people can commit to clearing their drain at least twice a month would make a huge difference! Cleaning out your drain will typically take you less than 15 minutes. If you aren't able to clean your drain out twice a month, it may take a little longer to clear because debris will start to build up.

What should the collection process look like?

Wear appropriate clothing - gloves should be worn at all times, and reflective clothing is suggested if cleaning in a high traffic area. You should also bring appropriate supplies to clean out your drain. Even with gloves, cleaning drains with your hands may be difficult, or even dangerous. We recommend coming prepared with things like a rake, broom, shovel, or even a trash grabber in addition to a bucket or bag to hold debris.

When cleaning your drain, we ask volunteers to collect only debris on the surface of the drain (PLEASE do NOT lift the grate). It is also helpful to clear any debris in the surrounding areas, as it could eventually make it into the storm drain.

PLEASE let us know if you move/can no longer care for your drain so we can find it a new owner!

What should be done with material that's collected?

Depending on the debris collected, your items will generally be composted, recycled, or put into the trash.

• Leaves, twigs, grass clippings, and sediment can be composted.
• Glass and plastic bottles, cans, etc. should be recycled.
• Anything else collected should go in the trash.
• Note: Sediment collected in the spring will likely be heavily contaminated with salt from the winter months. Sediment collected in the spring should then be thrown out, rather than composted.

What if I want to adopt a drain that isn't on the map?

If there is a storm drain in your neighborhood that you want to adopt but doesn't appear on the map, you can submit a request to add the drain here. We will contact you once it has been added to the map, and you can officially select and adopt it.

Adopt Your Drain

To learn about the Adopt Your Drain Program, click here.

Respect Our Waters

To learn about the other ways you can protect your local watersheds, click here.

Sweet Water

To learn about the work that Sweet Water does, click here.

Contact Us

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us at: respectourwaters@gmail.com or 414-382-1766.