Alabama-Coushatta Tribe receives the Texas Rain Catcher Award
For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129
AUSTIN – (October 17, 2024) – 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 Alabama-Coushatta Tribe in Livingston, Texas, was recognized in the governmental 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 rainwater harvesting system installed by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas harvests and stores 65,000 gallons of rainwater to be used for wildfire mitigation, irrigation of a community garden, and dust abatement. As prescribed burns are a way of life for the tribe, refilling trucks with rainwater rather than from area lakes and wells relieves dependency on local water resources and cuts the expense of hauling water from other areas.
Through outreach events, the project also provided education and demonstration of assembly and installation of smaller-scale systems for household rainwater harvesting. The project generated interest among other tribes in Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Louisiana.
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 Alabama-Coushatta Tribe 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.