Houston has launched an adopt-a-drain program to help residents keep water flowing and avoid backups especially as flood recovery continues following Hurricane Harvey.
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday announced the program in partnership with Houston Public Works, Keep Houston Beautiful and community groups. The request comes nearly eight months after Harvey hit South Texas and prompted heavy rain, leading to widespread flooding in parts of Houston.
Turner asked residents of the nation's fourth largest city, with more than 2.3 million people, to volunteer and make sure their neighborhood drains are free of leaves, trash and other debris. Houston has about 115,000 storm drains available for adoption, with cleaning suggested four times per year.
City officials say Houston spends $13 million annually on storm drain maintenance, inspection and repairs.
