Where to now?

Farmers, ranchers ponder ruling’s impact

It’s unquestionably great to hear people on both sides of the state line — the one between Oklahoma and Arkansas — acknowledge that the load of phosphorus draining into the Illinois River has measurably diminished over the last 20 or so years.

When it comes to pollutants that do lasting damage to sensitive ecosystems, less is definitely desirable.

Poultry industry officials, according to a recent story in the news pages, say about 1.59 million tons of poultry litter were hauled out of the river’s watershed since 2005. The river starts in Northwest Arkansas and travels through farm land before making its way into Oklahoma, where it’s considered a scenic river.

More of something good and less of something bad is a fairly fundamental plan. Such generalities are often agreeable, but figuring out how to measurably achieve them? Let’s just say there are a lot of shelves lined with three-ring binders about the science necessary to do that. And just because it’s science doesn’t mean everyone agrees.

In the wake of a recent long-awaited federal court ruling that favored Oklahoma’s push for stronger controls on phosphorus, advocates for the river’s further environmental protection say they have an idea of what’s necessary for the years ahead: transparency.

Save the Illinois River, a nonprofit group in Tahlequah, Okla., recognizes youknow-who resides in the details.

The ruling may have settled some issues, but for Arkansas farmers and ranchers, its lack of clarity about next steps is nothing less than unsettling. They’ve put a lot of effort into cleaning up old and outdated practices, resulting in improvements in the river. The answer to “what’s next?” will understandably lead to the next question: How much?

We were glad to read Arkansas and Oklahoma are on better terms these days than in the years before the lawsuit, which was filed in 2005. Something tells us, however, those improved relations aren’t done being tested just yet.