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<br />OPINION
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<br />/+{s-u-A--
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<br />This Week
<br />The] ournal Salutes
<br />
<br />by Meb Ebm
<br />Webster's Dictionary defines
<br />waler 35 the Uquld that descends
<br />from the clouds as rain, forms
<br />streams. lakes and seas... How-
<br />ever. to Beverly Eckerdt of
<br />Manzanola, water has meant a
<br />lifetime of effort and comm1trnenL
<br />Her Involvement wtth water has .
<br />been an in tense one. and It has
<br />led herto her current poslUon as
<br />general manager of the newly
<br />fonned Arkansas Groundwater
<br />Users AssoclflUon (AGUA).
<br />Eckerdt's bapUsm Ill' water be-
<br />gan al a very young age. She saJd
<br />that she grew up In Las AnlrnaS
<br />on a fann/ranch. Her father. .t\1vin:;.
<br />Spady. was ;:lcUVe In .ranchlng,
<br />havlnghenlsof around 2,000 head
<br />of cattle as well 35 farming. He
<br />mainly f~ed com, alfaHa and
<br />sUage wtth which to keep h'ls cattle
<br />fed. Ec:kerdt said that he didn't
<br />have a pai1.1cular .breed of cattle.
<br />He was more c~)ficer:ned that the
<br />calUe ,g,lIne,t"",IghL ,
<br />Her..~thes;-..was very: actlve'm_.
<br />wili.ertbroughouthts Ufe1:l1ne, and"
<br />lte"was~""",.t....t ,wIlhca.-canaL
<br />oQ~ai..li:ililo"il~as-::weU ~ 'fo~~ding'.;~'
<br />the Colorado Wat!:i'PrUtedive and '
<br />DevelopmentAsSoclaUonln ]965~-:.:
<br />Eck~rdt sa1d she owes her knowl- '.
<br />edge and eXPertence to her falh~r .
<br />as well as attending many water
<br />meetif1gs w1lh hlm In her grow-
<br />Ing. up year;s,
<br />Eckerdtattended and graduated '.
<br />from the tl1e Las, Anlmas school
<br />system. Shealt.ended use for one ..
<br />year but didn't finish college. She
<br />now says tl1at she wtshes she had
<br />completed coJlege. that being a
<br />water attorney would have been
<br />on~ of her professional choices.
<br />She says It would be currenlly
<br />helpful If she could lake more
<br />cou.-ses In water law to embellish
<br />her already extensive knowledge
<br />about water. She completed a
<br />nurses aide cou.-se at Otero Jun- .
<br />lor College In 1983 and worked .
<br />briefly at the l}ospllaJ In LaJurila.
<br />Eckerdl'admllted to sUII being
<br />IdeaUst enough to believe that
<br />everyone can make.a dlfference.
<br />The difference she has made and
<br />continues to make involves wa-
<br />ter.
<br />Eckerdt and husJJand, Monte,
<br />have been roamed for 10 years,
<br />
<br />
<br />public In which infonnaUon Is dis-
<br />seminated. Some other arms of
<br />this organtzaJton are m1nlng. mu-
<br />nicipal and lnduslr1al. She ex-
<br />pla1ned thallh1s group Is trying to
<br />emulate tl1e'assoclation Umt has
<br />been on tl1e South Platte for some
<br />time: She attends the Conserva-
<br />tion Board meeUngs and uses thJs
<br />time to gain Information as well as
<br />exchange concerns and ..thoughts
<br />with the state officials that are on
<br />the board,
<br />Eckerdl appeared to prtde her-
<br />self on the newly foimed AGUA.
<br />smlUng and speaking wtth confi-
<br />denceabout thepotenUal that faces
<br />this organIzation. She believes that
<br />most Just want to pump and be left
<br />alone. She sees a need for all con-
<br />'B ' I E k dt ceJiled to unite and cooperate with
<br />eve,r y, e,er the slale 10 find workable solu-
<br />niey have tWo daughters. Vanessa Uons to the problems that face
<br />who 1$' 7 'arid DanleUe who'. [s '4. ~em and are sure.to anse,
<br />ECkenlt said' 'that her l1uslx\Dd,-' 'WIth numbers comes' power:
<br />too. Is in a facet of wale.- 'whIch Ecke.-dlsald. Theblggesthurdleis
<br />allows -for. -a- e~ria1lty wtthln' getting both- 5urface"~d gtouitd
<br />lheJrtl!:1aUonshlp; water users to understand that
<br />, In -I98It.~ECkenlt"s-falher' asked' tJi.;y are 'one arid the same. About
<br />h,<;1'.!eMl'.ro-tla!~lhe ,go}<>~~,W,.perce'-'t.f)(,'!l1,,!,-,,Us,aJ:~ l1I!der-
<br />P,ioleeUveand DeveloproentAsso- .neath ,a ditch, and waler used'
<br />e}aUon. '1en.'j>e.'iihiiru;d di-o~~;!:_ riOiii-whateyer.sriui-Ce;n1~,"wa-
<br />off due l!:l h,aytn"g ~o.me wet years. c ,te~,dep1eted from t1Je,!,,ve(;ill,prod,,
<br />and al Uiattime having no peitdlng '.. u<:L::>he b~Ueves efficiency, In ap-,
<br />litigation :- thus, no Impending. pUcation and well head protecUon
<br />need at thJs,"Unie to belong to any _is,:a must. Too often' the w~U sys-"
<br />o(the said associations. So, Eckerdt tern 1s secondary In ih,e;wflter hler-:
<br />rolled up hersleev~~ anq fr~m 1988 . archy because~ m~l'.qfl1i~)~.!i~
<br />to 1993.tieIpecflnc'r-eaSetnC"mem':'" used 1n the Ark Valley'ls.fiom:
<br />~.-sl:Up by .602 pe~c~n'~ ditches. A really goqd .water ac-
<br />Because of her extenstye.tiwolve-. counting system Is crucial to' the
<br />ment with area'well use,I"S'th,rough future. . "We haye to get better use
<br />aU of theSe years. Eckerdt believes . and an ability. to use the water.
<br />she has ~een success In her Ufe. further." Eckerdtslated, Mand this
<br />She prtdes he.-selfln her Int~rper-' can be realized through applica-
<br />sanal relationships willi others and. Uon efficiency and plant efficiency ."
<br />says she feels she has created a' In the near future Eckerdthopes
<br />trust that cannot be destroyed yet to Increase the membership num-
<br />can be appreciated. mutually. She' bers In AGUA. She says th~re are
<br />s'a1d. MI Just want to plug alon'g and some 800 people out there who are'
<br />do what needs to' be done, not. not arrulated with ~y exisUng as-:
<br />takJngadvantageofanyone. Water soclatiqn. She was .ntenupted by'
<br />to date h:iS~en a major focus,'and several phone calls. and saJd that
<br />she believes that It WIll: be for years'. 'she'spends the 'maJ';rtty o[the day
<br />to coine' due 'to the' voij.tillty'and..., on the' phone. She feels.she' has
<br />ever changtrig rules' and regs ~n-' .." many yeafS left In ~er.relaU~nshlp
<br />cemlng . Its appl1caUon and use. w1lh Wate.- because as history has
<br />Eckerdt has recently Joined the prov~d, there'~ always. something
<br />,boardofllieArkansasRJve.-Forum new and different to tackle'.in the
<br />, Plannlng/ AcUvllyCommlltee.1llIsworld ;'r water, ' ' " '
<br />group Is lIylng to proVide an an.
<br />nual educaUonal foriIm for the
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