LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Ken Rudder of El Dorado has been honored by the Arkansas Conservation Hall of Fame for his commitment to recharging the Sparta Aquifer, which is the sole source of drinking water for many municipalities in South Arkansas and North Louisiana, according to an article by Red River Radio.
Rudder has served on the Union County Conservation District Board since 1989, and took a leading role in getting heavy industry to draw water from the Ouachita River rather than the Sparta Aquifer in his role as plant operations manager at Lion Oil, the article reported.
According to the article, Rudder will become the 20th inductee into the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts Hall of Fame.
“If you would have asked anyone down there [in El Dorado] they would say that’s one of the reasons why the community is healthy and growing is because the Sparta Aquifer now, for the first time, is actually recharging and not declining. It’s actually better than it was 10 years ago," said Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts Program Director Debbie Moreland.
Read the full article here.