Rain Barrel

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We Need Your Help Caring for Our Rivers and Lake Michigan  

Our actions inside and outside our homes can protect our drinking water, Lake Michigan, and help reduce the risk of sewer water backing up into your basement or overflowing into our waterways.

We’re asking everyone in the community to do a few simple things to help keep our water clean and flowing.

 

Help Keep These Items Out of Our Sewers and Water

Help keep pollutants like household chemicals and medicine out of our sewers and waterways, and ONLY flush the 3 P's (pee, poo, toilet paper)!
 

Only flush the three Ps - pee, poop, toilet paper

Only Flush the 3 P's
(pee, poo, and toilet paper)  

MMSD Home Hazardous Waste Collection

Drop off Your Household Chemicals

Medicine

Dispose of Medications at a Drug Take-Back Site

Do not pour bacon grease down the drain.

Dispose of all fats, oils, and grease in the garbage.

Water Drop Alert - text waterdrop to 414-296-4422 to receive alerts

Sign-Up for Water Drop Alerts, Text: WATERDROP to 414-296-4422

Every drop counts when heavy rain hit our area. Learn how to use less water to reduce sewer water backing up in your basement and overflowing into our waterways by signing up for the Water Drop Alert.

One Inch of Rain on MMSD's Service Area = 7.1 Billion Gallons of Water

By managing water where it falls and using less water during heavy rain, we can:
  • Help protect rivers and lakes from water pollution.
  • Reduce the risk of sewer water backing up into your basement and sewer or overflowing into our waterways. 

Install Green Infrastructure to Help Manager Water Where it Falls 

Green infrastructure captures, absorbs, or stores rain and melting snow, taking on numerous shapes and sizes from 55-gallon rain barrels to rain gardens, trees, and porous pavers for parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks. You can see green roofs on buildings or bioswales along city streets. Join us to manage water where it falls on your property and become a Fresh Coast Guardian.
 

Woman with a Rain Barrel

Install a Rain Barrel

Fresh Coast Guardians logo

Become a Fresh Coast Guardian

Planting a Rain Garden

Plant a Rain Garden

Join Local Partners to Help Protect Our Water and the Environment

MMSD is dedicated to supporting local partners that help our community get involved in protecting our water and the environment. 

Help Adopt A River to Keep Our Water Clean
One Water Our Water
Together with other local community groups Plastic-Free MKE is working to eliminate single-use plastics in our city.