City of Vancouver’s “grate” contest adopts, names catch basins and curbs floods

VANCOUVER – In hopes of injecting a little fun into the mucky but vital job of maintaining catch basins, the City of Vancouver launched a contest encouraging residents to “adopt” a catch basin.

Now the public has a chance to decide which of the more than 1,000 contest participants has come up with the most creative name for their chosen “adoptee.”

Catch basins capture surface water from roads, parking lots and highways and direct it to the main storm water system but during Vancouver’s rainy autumn weather, leaves or other debris can clog the grates to those basins, sometimes causing significant flooding.

Vancouver’s contest to adopt a basin and give it a “grate” name has produced monikers ranging from The Grates of Wrath, to Grate Expectations and, of course, Draino McDrainface.

Residents can now vote online for their favourite name and the winner will receive a $200 dollar gift card for rain gear.

Although the naming contest has ended, a news release from the City of Vancouver says there are 45,000 adoptable catch basins across the city that residents can find online, adopt, name and keep clear to help neighbourhood roadways remain flood-free.