San Saba Senior Center Among TWDB-s Texas Rain Catcher Award Winners

For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129

Austin - (May, 1, 2014) - The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today that that the San Saba Senior Center is among the winners of its annual Texas Rain Catcher Award, a rainwater harvesting competition and recognition program. The award recognizes excellence in the application of rainwater harvesting systems in Texas, promotes the technology, and educates the public.

In 2011, Linda Mixon, Senior Citizens Center Director, dreamed of transforming the area behind the San Saba Senior Center into a beautiful garden with native trees, shrubs, and flowers. With the help of the city and other civic organizations, a small group of volunteers began working to secure funding and recruiting other organizational partners and volunteers. With funding from the Lower Colorado River Authority, Home Depot, Senior Citizens Center, and private donors, the organizers were able to raise almost $33,000 in cash for the project. The City of San Saba and other private donors provided in-kind contributions valued at about $27,000.

The centerpiece of the garden is a rainwater harvesting system (two 2,500-gallon polyethylene tanks) that captures water from the west side of the Senior Center and provides the water to the garden. An array of educational signage provides information about the history and design of the garden, the drought-hardy plants, and the key organizational partners and special individuals who made the garden possible.

-"Not only did the Senior Citizens Center create an environment for residents to enjoy the landscape, it created a centerpiece that will allow the garden to continue to flourish and thrive for future residents, said TWDB Board Chairman Carlos Rubinstein."

Linda Mixon passed away before the project was completed, but she would have been pleased to know that her dream came true.

The Texas Rain Catcher Award competition begin 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 both within the rainwater harvesting community and beyond and establishes their reputations as those dedicated to water conservation in Texas. The San Saba Senior Center is one of four award recipients being recognized statewide by TWDB.

The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning, and preparing the state water plan for the development of the state's water resources. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.