Element levels in river fall, study says

ROGERS — Arkansas and Oklahoma water conservation officials said Thursday they are pleased with a new report that shows phosphorus levels in the Illinois River in Northwest Arkansas are generally declining.

Phosphorus levels in the river, which starts near Hogeye in Northwest Arkansas and flows into Tenkiller Ferry Lake in Oklahoma, have been a contentious issue between the two states for decades. In 2003, Oklahoma passed a law requiring a phosphorus concentration in the Illinois River of 0.037 milligram or less per liter of water.

Arkansas Natural Resources Commission Engineer Chris Soller said the numbers were “pretty encouraging. If you look at the last 20 years, the lines on the graphs are going down. That’s always a good sign.”

None of the sampling sites on the river or its streams in Arkansas have recorded a yearly average phosphorus count that low, Soller said, but some monthly totals have hit the mark.

“We continue to be encouraged with the reductions in phosphorus,” said Derek Smithee, chief of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s water quality division. “We haven’t crossed the finish line yet, but we’re marching in the direction to get there.”

Smithee and Soller spoke at Thursday’s annual meeting of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission.

Phosphorus, a common element found in stormwater runoff, can cause excessive algae growth that can harm the quality of rivers, streams, lakes and aquatic life. Phosphorus counts vary year to year, depending on rainfall and other factors.

New figures for 2011 show phosphorus counts remain down from 2003, when the Oklahoma law went into effect. They include:

Illinois River south of Siloam Springs — 0.120 milligram per liter of water in 2011, down from 0.219 in 2003.

Baron Fork at Dutch Mills — 0.060 milligram per liter in 2011, a reduction from 0.133 in 2003.

Flint Creek northwest of West Siloam Springs — 0.042 milligram per liter in 2011, down from 0.075 in 2003.

Sager Creek near West Siloam Springs — 0.573 milligram per liter in 2011, down from 1.503 in 2003.

In 2003, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale pledged Oklahoma and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that they would reduce the amount of phosphorus released from city-operated sewer plants. They have spent millions to bind phosphorus into sludge that is discarded in landfills rather than streams.

A key issue regarding phosphorus content in the Illinois River has centered on runoff from poultry litter that farmers spread on their land as fertilizer.

A 2009-2010 civil trial in federal court in Tulsa on the poultry litter issue still has not been decided by U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell. The state of Oklahoma sued Springdalebased Tyson Foods Inc. and five other Arkansas poultry companies. Oklahoma asked the court to stop the spread of phosphorus-laden poultry litter — a mix of bird manure and absorbent wood chips or rice hulls swept from poultry houses — in the Illinois River watershed.

Poultry company attorneys say the moratorium isn’t needed and would cause an economic hardship for their industry. Poultry companies are helping farmers ship poultry manure outside the Illinois River watershed.

The Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission is a two-state group that apportions the waters of the Arkansas River basin, protects water quality and facilitates the management of water resources in the river basin.

Oklahoma’s Smithee said he’s optimistic that phosphorus levels on the Illinois River will eventually drop below his state’s 0.037 standard.

“I absolutely think there will be continued progress,” he said. “The declines probably won’t be as dramatic going forward. ... It’s going to get harder and harder to get that phosphorus out of the system. But we’re optimistic and I think Arkansas shares that optimism.”