From: Jill Garcia, PG – Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District

Press Release: Upper Trinity GCD awards grants to six different entities for rainwater harvesting projects, across four counties, totaling $300,000 towards water conservation.

During its May Board meeting, the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors authorized their General Manager, Doug Shaw, to expend up to $300,000 towards rainwater harvesting grant projects within Parker, Montague, Hood and Wise Counties.

This year’s award winners came from across the entire District, and represented a diverse group of non-profits, cities, and county facilities. Check out the award winners below.

  • Rancho Brazos Community Center – Acton, Hood County – The non-profit organization will be catching rainwater from their recently completed, 9,800 square foot Douglas Long Outreach Center and collecting into a 29,093-gallon tank on the site. Rainwater is intended for community gardens, chicken coops, soil erosion maintenance and managing storm runoff. Additional courses and events are planned for the community year-round, with an emphasis on water and sustainability. For more information on the center and resources, please contact RBCC at 817-910-8114.
  • The City of New Fairview – New Fairview, Wise County – The City will be catching rainwater from their community center at the newly christened Chacon Community Park. The rainwater will be used for a community garden incorporating native, drought tolerant, and kid friendly plant varieties, all supplied by rainwater. The City has partnered with the District for a community garden at the site, incorporating multiple grant projects and educational exhibits. For more updates on the project, visit the city of New Fairview’s website at newfairview.org.
  • Tails N Trails Museum – Nocona, Montague County – The museum will be catching rain from their 9,200 square foot museum barn into an above ground storage tank that will sit alongside their outdoor exhibits. The system will also act as a fire suppression resource around Nocona, Texas. For more information on museum classes and events, please visit tailsntrails.org.  
  • The Town of Annetta – Annetta, Parker County – The town will be catching rainwater from their city hall site into a 20,000-gallon tank that will be used both for irrigation and for general use at the town’s wastewater treatment facility. The project will supplement ongoing conservation efforts and act as a community hub for rainwater harvesting resources, including hosting annual visits for the two local elementary campuses. For more information on the progress and site, please visit annettatx.org.
  • Parker County Precinct 4 – Aledo, Parker County – The county precinct intends to collect rainwater from their multiple equipment bays. Rainwater is intended to be used for multiple purposes, including availability to local fire departments.
  • Parker County Precinct 2 – Weatherford, Parker County – The county precinct will be catching rainwater from their equipment bays and front office building. Similar to the Precinct 4 project, the water will be used for multiple purposes, including a design that would allow fire trucks from ESD’s and VFD’s to fill up tankers without entering the precinct, saving valuable time.

Hopefully, both precincts consider expanding their systems in the future, with all of the water collected offsetting groundwater use.  

The Upper Trinity GCD began the grant program back in 2020, partnering with the Parker County Livestock Improvement Association to design and construct the 65,000-gallon system to catch rain from nearby barn roofs. That system went on to win the 2020 Texas Water Development Board Raincatcher of the Year. In the following year, UTGCD partnered with Wise County to complete a 65,000-gallon system at the Fairgrounds in Decatur.

Since then, the program has grown and now includes multiple operational systems residents and community members can visit.

  • Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Grounds – Weatherford, Texas
  • Wise County Fairgrounds – Decatur, Texas
  • Community Central Fire Department – Weatherford, Texas
  • City of New Fairview City Hall – New Fairview, Texas
  • City of Paradise – Leone Park – Paradise, Texas
  • Parker County Precinct 3 – Weatherford, Texas
  • Slidell Elementary School – Slidell, Texas (Coming soon!)

For more resources on rainwater harvesting, visit uppertrinitygcd.com. For local resources, the Parker County Master Gardener’s “Rainwater Harvesting: After Hours” course on residential and commercial harvesting is scheduled for June 5th at 5:00PM at the Agrilife office in Weatherford, Texas.  

Interested in applying for next year’s grants? Call 817-523-5200 for more information and resources.