Vancouver has over 45,000 catch basins removing excess water from streets during rainfall events. Acknowledging that the city can only do so much to remove leaves, debris, and litter from storm drains and catch basins, the city has adopted an Adopt a Catch Basin program to engage citizens and children to help rainwater drain properly.
The adoption process has three steps:
- Choose and name your catch basin
- Check your email inbox for a welcome package
- Let the catch basin care begin!
In one example profiled in the program’s YouTube video and mom and child name the catch basin T-Rex and work together to plan visits to remove leaves and debris on a regular and seasonal basis.
The city website encourages residents to enter the catch basin naming contest to win rain gear. In instances when it may be unsafe to clear the catch basin, they are encouraged to report non-emergency flooding online. Participant info is captured in an online map.
If a catch basin’s name is selected as one of Vancouver’s top three favourites, resident win:
- $200 Mountain Equipment Co-op
gift certificate to go toward a rain jacket - $100 Kamik gift certificate to go toward a pair of Kamik rain boots
- Exclusive City of Vancouver umbrella with a wayfinding map inside
