Join the Clean Drains team today! Make it a neighborhood event. It’s easy. It’s simple. And supremely satisfying. The week of July 6 has been dubbed Clean Drains Week. So sign up now to claim your FREE cleaning kit. Then rally everyone you know to meet the Clean Drains Challenge.

Finished cleaning and marking? Let us know where you cleaned here.

Clean Drains Fort Wayne is an initiative to help educate and engage the community to protect the city’s waterways. Fort Wayne’s three rivers are vital to our community, which makes it critical to prevent debris and solid waste from entering our storm drains. There are over 20,000 storm drains that connect the city to the rivers and contaminants in this system may directly impact wildlife and natural resources.

As storm drains collect water from the street, they also take in anything that the stormwater carries with it. Most water that goes into a storm drain gets no treatment before it is discharged into a water body—a pond, ditch, stream, or river. That means that anything that goes into the storm drain can pollute the environment. Some of the common pollutants found in stormwater include: lawn chemicals such as fertilizer and pesticides, bacteria from pet waste, household chemicals, soaps used for washing cars, and dirt, soil, and sediment. Even products that are labeled as biodegradable or non-toxic can cause damage to waterways and can harm aquatic life.

Storm drains are not intended to be the neighborhood trash can. Nothing should be dumped down a storm drain. Chemicals, paint or other pollutants can go directly into a stream or water body. Trash—or even leaves and grass clippings—can cause the storm drain to become clogged, resulting in street flooding.

With our marking kits, it’s easy to get involved and inspire others in your community to take action!

Our FREE marking kits include:

• Marking kits
• T-shirts
• Chalk for kids to get involved
• Instructions and a map of drain locations

In 2024, City Utilities partnered with Art This Way, a program part of the Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District, to help continue Clean Drains Fort Wayne’s educational initiative.

Murals are curated from local artists through an application process. In late summer, artists begin painting murals at selected drain locations across the city. The murals showcase creative ways to help spread our message – Only Rain in the Drain!