City launches ‘Adopt-A-Catch-Basin’ pilot in Brooklyn, asking locals to help keep storm drains clear

The city officially launched its “Adopt-A-Catch Basin” pilot program in Greenpoint on Tuesday, hoping to deputize locals as volunteer storm drain supervisors.

Greenpointers who sign up for the program will be responsible for cleaning debris — like leaves and trash — out of their assigned catch basin so rainwater can flow through it and into the sewers below.

“Clearing out catch basins helps reduce flooding and keeps our streets cleaner,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler, who partnered with the Department of Environmental Protection to create the program. “If we all do our part, we can make a major difference in strengthening resiliency on our block.”

Restler (left) and Aggarwala cleared a catch basin on April 22. Photo courtesy of NYC DEP/X

There are more than 150,000 catch basins — also known as storm drains — across New York City, according to DEP. When they’re clear, the basins are a critical part of preventing flooding.

But the street-level drains are often blocked by dead leaves and other debris, meaning water can’t drain through and instead backs up into the street.

DEP has a fleet of specialized catch basin-cleaning trucks that are deployed before major storms, but those vehicles are aging — during Storm Ophelia, which caused up to 11 inches of flooding in Brooklyn in September 2023 — two-thirds of those trucks were out of service, according to a 2024 report by the New York City Comptroller.

City officials and local clean-up groups have been urging locals to clean up their local catch basins ahead of storms for years, with mixed results. DEP hopes the Adopt-A-Catch Basin program will “empower community members in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to take an active role in reducing local street flooding.”

Interested locals can fill out an interest form , including the location of the catch basin they’d like to adopt. DEP will assign each volunteer a specific catch basin and provide them with a reflective safety vest, garbage and recycling bags, gloves, a trash grabber, a rake, and other supplies.

Catch basins, or storm drains, help drain rainwater off local streets to prevent flooding. Photo courtesy of Robert Lawton/Wikimedia Commons

Since the program was soft-launched last fall, 25 Greenpointers have adopted 90 catch basins, according to DEP.

Volunteers are asked to submit reports each time they clean or inspect the drain, and to call 311 if their catch basin still won’t drain after a cleaning. DEP is responsible for inspecting and cleaning all of the city’s basins, even those “adopted” in Greenpoint, but only visits each one every six months to every three years — depending on its condition.

“Every New Yorker with a rake or broom can help their neighborhood prevent flooding simply by clearing leaves and debris from a catch basin,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala.