Try something new this spring: Adopt a drain

The season of spring may well be considered the season of new. As the latest-model boats and motorcycles hit the market, grills and other summertime recreation equipment fill the stores, and the newest offerings for gardening, camping, backyard get-togethers or home renovation and yard care pour in, it stands to reason that producers know we are wide-eyed after being holed up for the long cold spell.

On top of all that, lawn care, tree maintenance and stump removal businesses will soon be in full swing, and are advertising their services.

Let me add one more to the list.

The Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District is proud to roll out a new initiative that has already caught traction elsewhere through the state and nation. It aims to be an easy way for all to take part in local conservation efforts and be stewards for community improvement and resource management. We hope it will encourage residents to have a hand in the wellbeing of their local neighborhoods and city: introducing the Carlton County Adopt a Drain program!

Like the Adopt a Highway program, the ADD program promotes volunteerism in helping keep trash out of our landscape and public areas. However, the program goes a step further in being scaled for the local level — meaning that participation might be right outside your front door, reaping benefits right in your community.

“All right,” you might be asking yourself, “Why would I bother?”

Plain and simple, it comes down to water quality. These drains lead right into our local water bodies, so we in turn can make an impact on the wellbeing of our nearby waterways, helping reduce the cost of cleaning and maintaining them as well.

You might think, “Doesn’t it all go downstream eventually, though?” to which I’ll have to say, “Not exactly.”

Yes, the water will eventually cycle out, but the pollutants aren’t guaranteed to do the same. In fact, the effect of water pollutants will likely be felt, and concentrated, where they are initially released, often even settling near where they were released.

To top it all off, “downstream” for much of the waters in this area is the brilliant and striking Lake Superior — not really a destination we should consider lightly.

Maybe a last resistant bunch of you are thinking, “But what difference will my effort really make?”

To that, I say, “a lot more than you think.”

Consider this: you might collect a pailful of material each time you go out. Well, if you go out twice a month for four months or more, you’ll have stopped an impressive pile of pollution — and that’s just your effort. Imagine the gargantuan impact a small army of volunteers would make by cleaning up debris over a whole season.

Lastly, think of it as a small investment now for big savings in the future. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Find the AAD program on our website at carltonswcd.org for more details.

Writer Chris Gass is a Minnesota GreenCorps member with the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District whose bi-monthly columns will focus on environmental topics and stewardship, particularly in cities and towns.