Fascination with storm drains, anyone?

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Here is an analysis of an interesting adventure I once had when I was about thirteen or fourteen years old.

I was sitting alongside a not-so-crowded road near where I lived. A gas station was stationed along the opposite side. The person who worked at the gas station happened to know my parents and lived on the same street. Here's where things get a bit strange.

I sat alongside this road for a purpose. I used to have a fascination with storm drains, and I would trek through them. I seemed to always know where drain pipes emptied out. I used to trek beside ponds, rivers and lakes to find entrances to pipe that were big enough such that I could walk through. I found myself trekking amongst the various underground tunnels beneath the town streets and parking lots near where I lived. I didn't care about rats; stuff like that never bothered me. I found out that most manholes that cover streets and sidewalks are not always sewer manholes, but many seal up passages that workers can use to access the storm drains underground. Other entry passages featured grates that were either flat upon the road or sealed against the side of a road.

I remember sticking my fingers up through a grate here and there, and then I could hear the people above say things like: "Did you see that? Somebody's down there!" Strangely enough, nobody ever called the cops that I knew of.

There was this one grate by this gas station fastened to the side of the road that had appeared to have been carved out by some sort of accident or something. It was big enough that I could fit my body through it. I did just that, and this gas station owner had spotted me. I didn't think that he saw me, but he apparently did. All of a sudden, I start hearing people in the drain talking about: "Where does this drain go?" This person called my parents, who then called the cops, fearing for my safety.

The thing is: What's so wrong with trekking through storm drains? They're mysterious and exciting, and you never know where they will take you. I can understand not going through them during a storm, but then again, I wasn't that stupid. I guess that my parents thought I was.

- Ray M -

I work in the engineering department for a city government, so I do a lot of projects that deal with storm drains.

Tim

tim this is good now tell us is this dangerous behaviour if it isnt rainign it is a safe obsession right?
this kid wants to know so do i.

I don't think we have storm drains here. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong though!

They do exist in the UK, but they are not called that. Apparently they are called "surface water system" which doesn't sound as cool.

The wikipedia article tells all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_drain


It also mentions the exploring fun to be had:

"An international subculture has grown up around the exploration of stormwater drains. Societies such as the Cave Clan regularly explore the drains underneath cities. This is commonly known as 'urban exploration', but is also known as 'draining' when in specific relation to storm drains."

For all things underground in the UK

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/

Some stormdrains in the UK

http://www.urbanunderworld.co.uk/drains ... rame.shtml

humm well some stuff underground has Naturl gas so do not use a flame light source and a gas mask like solders use is a good thing to have. and if it rains you could be flushed out of them very fast. And becoming lost if you go a long ways into a system. Yes I have explored water drains but was careful.

I don't actually work with the drains themselves, but I just make maps that show them.

Tim

when I was a child I used to craw though all the storm drains where I lived, but other children did it as well who were not aspies, that was over 20 years ago, all of the under ground pipes have gratings on them now, so children can no longer craw though them.
I was also interested in electric insulators, pylons, substations, etc.

Drains are quite interesting. I have wandered around a few, and poped up in someones back yard through a manhole. They are relaxing to explore, cool, dark, and quiet...perfect for me. And no one can see you, but you can see them

So long as you avoid them when their is ANY possibility of rain anywhere near you..some drains connect from far away, so being alert to water is very serious. Otherwise just gotta be careful of falling, slipping, and the various things in drains.. drug stuff, needles, etc.

I have never explored a storm drain, but I would like to.

when i was a kid a group of us from the neighborhood exlored a storm drain it was very exciting fun thing to do kind of an adverture. It was just like a large pipe the sides where smooth with no openings for rats or anything to pop out of.

they are interesting to me when my dad would have a inspector do a video inspection with some crawler thing in the pipes then bring home the video tapes to see what the guy missed. i have seen about 6 of the "pipe movies" and i seen things like keys and rings or money down there. hmm just if the pipe inspecting crawler had a grabber on it to pickup and cleanup the rings,coins and keys and return to the owners.

the video crawler thing only can be done in 200 or 500 ft lengths of pipes because u can only go as far as teh cable will allow.

They're pretty cool to me.

What you are describing fits into what is called urban speleology. For me, it's entering abandoned buildings. It's illegal and not safe if you don't know what you're doing. I don't vandalize anything, instead taking my camera. Right now I am trying to find others where I live to start a group here, but wonder even how to do it, being it's usually trespassing, etc.
Part of u.s. is going into abandoned missile silos, sewers (I hear the twin cities in minnesota have fantastic drains sewers, as well as paris), churches, etc.
If you want to continue to do this, make sure you are wearing proper clothing, someone knows where you are, that it's not going to rain, bring a camera and maybe hook up with others who have the same curiosity as you do.