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Martin Family Farms receives the Texas Water Development Board's Texas Rain Catcher Award

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

AUSTIN – (March 29, 2017)  The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today the recipients of its annual Texas Rain Catcher Award, a rainwater harvesting competition and recognition program. Martin Family Farms was recognized in the agricultural 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 important water-saving practice.

The Martin Family Farms rainwater harvesting system includes 30,000 gallons of storage that is collected from a barn's 19,469-square-foot roof. The system can capture more than 150,000 gallons of rainwater on an average year's rainfall, with as much as 11,000 gallons collected from a one-inch rain. The storage tanks are plumbed together and a "first flush" system is included to keep dirt and debris from the storage tanks. Since the completion of the barn, the tanks have never been empty of rainwater.

In 2016, Martin Family Farms estimated using between 40,000 and 50,000 gallons of rainwater from their new system. The system is the first in Terry County to use harvested rainwater for agriculture and is a featured stop on the annual Terry County Farm Tour.

In addition to Glen Martin of Martin Family Farms, the project was made possible by the South Plains Underground Water Conservation District and the Terry Soil and Water Conservation District. When Mr. Martin began searching for an alternative water source for the farming operation, he discovered that the boards of both districts were simultaneously searching for a local producer interested in cost sharing a rainwater harvesting project. After submitting his rainwater harvesting system design, both boards pledged to assist with the design and installation of the system.

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. Martin Family Farms is one of five awardees being recognized statewide this year.

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.