Illinois River study

Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced an agreement between Oklahoma and Arkansas to study the water quality of the Illinois River.

The agreement comes after months of negotiation among the attorneys general, Arkansas environmental officials, Oklahoma Environmental Secretary Gary Sherrer and Agriculture Secretary Jim Reese on limits for phosphorus in the section of the river that travels through 100 miles of eastern Oklahoma.

In 2002, Oklahoma set a standard on the level of allowable phosphorus released into the Illinois River and other scenic rivers from “point” and “non-point” sources such as water treatment plants, farming operations and other factors that deposit excess levels of phosphorus into the water before the Illinois River leaves Arkansas and winds into Oklahoma.

The agreement provides for a new “best science” study of the phosphorus load for the river with both states, for the first time, agreeing to be bound by the outcome. The new study will take three years, and could result in a standard stricter than the current requirement. Oklahoma’s phosphorous standard will remain in effect while the new study is conducted.

“Generations of Oklahomans have enjoyed the Illinois River for hunting, fishing, camping and floating, and their safety and enjoyment of the river is paramount,” Pruitt said. “This agreement ensures that the progress we’ve made will continue, and that the river remains a recreation destination for future generations.”

This agreement follows another signed in 2003 that required Arkansas to make substantial upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and put limits on other dischargers in the watershed.  The new “best science” study will be funded by Arkansas and managed by the Joint Study Committee. The committee will consist of six members with the governors of Oklahoma and Arkansas appointing three members each. According to the agreement, the joint study will be conducted by a third party group with no ties to businesses in either state.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also is conducting a total maximum daily load study for the Illinois River that will set the discharge permit limits for all point source dischargers in the watershed. The EPA study is ongoing.