Residents in Santa Fe seem to be unaware that our storm drains discharge untreated stormwater directly into the Santa Fe River and our arroyos. A program like Adopt-the-River allows concerned citizens to become directly involved in water pollution prevention.

This program involves labeling storm drain inlets with plaques containing the message “Only Rain in the Drain” to warn citizens not to dump pollutants into our storm drains. The City of Santa Fe storm drain sewer system connects to the Santa Fe River and surrounding arroyos, so dumping in the inlets will pollute our waterways.

Think of it this way: If you dump it, you drink it! Please take the time to report any illegal dumping into our storm drains or missing/damaged markers to the Storm Water Management Division Hotline 955-5644. The Storm Water Map contains all locations of Santa Fe’s storm drain inlets.

The City works hard throughout the year to locate areas in need of trash, litter and debris removal. This includes our roadways, parks, open spaces, arroyos, and the Santa Fe River. Volunteering for these clean-ups will reduce the amount of pollutants that reach our storm drains and our waterways.

The Santa Fe Beautiful section also runs the Adopt-A-Median program allowing volunteers to perform tasks including cleaning (picking up litter, removing weeds and debris) and basic gardening to enhance our community and reduce pollutants from our storm sewer system.

Santa Fe Beautiful

Every April, the City of Santa Fe holds a hazardous waste drop-off day at the transfer station for free! Residents are encouraged to bring in all items that would potentially pollute the river, arroyos and the landfill.