The Campsite at Shield Ranch in Austin 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 Campsite at Shield Ranch in Austin, Texas, was recognized in the educational 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 Campsite at Shield Ranch is a completely off-grid nature immersion camp that provides lessons in sustainability and conservation. The Campsite’s rainwater harvesting system has a storage capacity of 67,800 gallons that consists of two reservoirs and two cisterns. As a pilot project, the primary goal of the Campsite’s rainwater system was to demonstrate alternatives and pave a permitting process for other Texans to construct more sustainably. The system also serves as a living, learning model that draws community and sustainability-focused tour groups to the Campsite to learn about rainwater harvesting.

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 Campsite at Shield Ranch 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.