Grate Keepers

Become a gatekeeper of our waterways by registering for the Village’s Grate Keepers Program. Residents and businesses can now adopt the storm water inlets near their property and pledge to clean the areas around them to reduce local flooding and keep litter and yard waste from polluting local waterways and impeding proper flow.

Using the Villages GIS mapping program, residents can search their neighborhood to find nearby grates. Click here to find inlets (I) and catch basins (CB) available. Be sure to copy or write down the identification number of the inlet or catch basin you want to adopt. When you are ready, fill out this on-line form to register and name your grate and show your commitment to reduce trash and organic pollutants while preventing localized flooding.

Rain washes anything that’s on streets and paved surfaces down storm drains and into the local branches of the Chicago River, and eventually to the Mississippi River and to the Gulf of Mexico. Dog poop carries harmful bacteria. Leaves, grass and dirt feed algae and turn lakes and rivers green. Trash clogs drains and pipes, causing flooding. With more than 4,000 individual inlets and catch basins in the Village, this is a task that Public Works cannot tackle all on its own.

Participants will be e-mailed a welcome packet containing instructions on how to properly clean around storm grates, materials needed and safety information. The Village will send e-mails to participants a few times a year reminding them of their commitment.

For more information, contact Communications Coordinator David Fitzgerald-Sullivan at dfitzgerald@deerfield.il.us or at 847.719.7400.