Duke residence receives the Texas Water Development Board’s Texas Rain Catcher Award

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

AUSTIN – (September 3, 2020) – 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 Duke residence 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.

Situated on 60 acres in Mart, Texas, the residence of Dennis and Lorna Duke has not had a productive water well or service from a public water system due to being outside the service area. To better serve their water needs, Mr. Duke built a rainwater collection system.

The system gathers rainwater from two 2,400-square-foot buildings—the garage and house—and a 600-square-foot patio roof. The collected rainwater is stored in a concrete tank that holds approximately 33,600 gallons. The top of the storage tank is a slab of concrete that serves as the Dukes’ back porch. Water from the first-flush diverter is stored in 55-gallon drums for garden irrigation.

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 Duke residence is one of six awardees being recognized statewide this year.

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 control, and agricultural water conservation projects.