Larry Wray has been named the Rural Water Manager of the Year by the Kansas Rural Water Assn.

Wray, who lives in Baldwin, manages Douglas Rural Water District No. 5, which serves most of southwest Douglas County and parts of Franklin County. The district serves 1,050 customers.

As a teenager, Wary helped his father lay service lines and complete meter hookups for many of the district’s earliest customers. He was named manager in 1986.

The district’s water loss was less than 5 percent in 2005.