MILWAUKEE — Wading in knee-deep waters, video shows residents near 45th and Cleveland spending their Monday night desperately working to unclog their street drains.
Claire Kiefer says that it's a sight not uncommon around the city following heavy rainfall. She's an environmental outreach coordinator with Sweetwater, a group aiming to keep the greater Milwaukee watershed clean.
We walked around Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood and saw just how clogged the drains can be after a heavy downpour.
“When we have all the leaves and debris blocking drains, it’s not only making the pollution visible it’s also affecting our neighborhoods,” said Kiefer.
That’s exactly why Sweetwater started its Adopt-a-Drain program.
“It’s just a simple easy way if you care and you want to do your part something as simple as pledging to adopt a drain is a great place to start.”
Anyone can go to the Adopt Your Drain website to find the nearest drain to you, and then pledge to keep clean throughout the year.
The site shows which drains have already been claimed. So far, 378 people have made the commitment to keep drains in Southeastern Wisconsin clean.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
