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<br />.' <br /> <br />", <br /> <br />,-C;a. , <br /> <br />OPINION <br /> <br />/+{s-u-A-- <br /> <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 <br />