Gabbay residence in Lockhart receives Texas Rain Catcher Award
TWDB
AUSTIN — The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today the recipients of its annual Texas Rain Catcher Award, a rainwater harvesting competition and recognition program. The Gabbay residence in Lockhart, Texas, was recognized in the residential category.
The TWDB’s Texas Rain Catcher Award recognizes excellence in the application of rainwater harvesting systems in Texas, promotes rainwater harvesting technology, and educates the public on this critical water-saving practice.
The Gabbay residence uses a 10,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system for a vegetable garden, fruit orchard, and flower garden on their one-acre lot. The surface area of the gardens and their use of Hügelkultur beds, a technique that uses sloped and raised planting beds filled with topsoil; rotted wood stumps and limbs; and other organic matter; helps redirect and hold water on the property to reduce runoff and eliminating flooding. The collected rainwater provides all the water necessary for irrigating the gardens throughout the year, reducing their dependency on municipal water.
The Texas Rain Catcher Award competition began in 2007 and is open to all individuals, companies, organizations, municipalities, and other local and state governmental entities in Texas. It recognizes entities and individuals in the rainwater harvesting community and beyond and establishes award recipients as dedicated water conservation leaders in Texas. The Gabbay residence is one of six awardees being recognized statewide this year.
To learn more about previous Texas Rain Catcher Award winners, visit the TWDB website.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing the state water and flood plans. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood mitigation, and agricultural water conservation projects.
