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Below are letters from Oklahomans
who are supporting greater protection for the Illinois River.
Please be sure to express your
opinion to Arkansas bureaucrats who have failed to include the
Illinois River on the list of streams to receive greater pollution
protection (303 d list).
THE ILLINOIS RIVER STARTS IN
ARKANSAS AND GREATER PROTECTION MUST START THERE TOO!
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To Whom it May Concern;
Arkansas needs to include the
Illinois River with its list of impaired waters (Bill 303 d).
For right relationship between neighbors there must be both respect
and concern for the well being of each other. Right now it appears
there is a lack of respect for the waters that overflow into
our state. We need to remember what goes around comes around.
Life has a way of making this happen and Arkansas will need the
support of Oklahoma neighbors at some future date. Neighbors
understand these things and protect especially health issues.
Please, Arkansas, be sensitive to us as we are requesting.
Respectfully,
Carol E Parrish
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Gentlemen:
As an Oklahoma Scenic River Commissioner
and a member of Oklahoma Governor Keating's Animal Waste and
Water Quality Protection Task Force (1997), I must object to
Arkansas's failure to include the Illinois River on its list
of impaired streams. To fail to include the Illinois River on
Arkansas' list of impaired streams is obviously a political decision
not a science-based decision. The levels of nutrients flowing
downstream into Oklahoma originate in Arkansas and have seriously
impacted the beneficial uses of this stream in our State. It
is hard to believe that nutrients from poultry runoff does not
similarly impact the Illinois River in your State. The Illinois
River's omission from the 303d list shows an extreme lack of
concern for your neighbors and a "head in the sand"
approach to environmental protection. Both states deserve better.
I urge you to reconsider.
Gerald L. Hilsher
Boone, Smith, Davis, Hurst & Dickman
100 West 5th Street, Suite 500
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103
(918) 587-0000
(918) 599-9317 Fax
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Dear Arkansas DEQ:
It is clear from your proposed
303(d) list, that the Illinois River is omitted from the Arkansas
proposed water quality management plan. I would be interested
to know how extensively Illinois River water quality has been
monitored and whether the Illinois River is being managed for
primary body contact recreational beneficial use inside the state
of Arkansas. Too, it would be useful to know whether ADEQ is
collaborating with Oklahoma to protect a zone of water quality
improvement far enough upstream to meet the Oklahoma beneficial
uses at the point that it enters Oklahoma's boundary. It is logical
that Oklahoma's exceptional quality water standard should be
met at the state line. Oklahoma is a riparian and stakeholder
at the state line. The Illinois' millions of recreationists over
time who use the river are beneficiaries of ADEQ planning. Downstream
beneficiaries should be taken into account in any comprehensive
plan. To omit full preservation of beneficial uses at the state
line would be irresponsible and would be a planning deficit.
Instream values can and must be based on logical surrounding
facts, because Arkansas' stewardship has extrajurisdictional
implications. ecoLaw institute, inc. urges vigorous, affirmative
water quality management in the Plan, and 303(d) listing which
acknowledges and takes responsibility for meeting, Oklahoma Water
Quality Standards at point where Arkansas' stewardship is handed-over
to Oklahoma-- the state line dividing Arkansas' river use and
Oklahoma's river use. An alternative might be to retrocede Arkansas
state implementation, back to the federal regulatory level, so
that fragmentation of planning does not interfere with accomplishment
of the aims of the Clean Water Act.
Kathy Carter-White
Staff Attorney
ecoLaw Institute, inc.
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Subject: Illinois River and 303 d list
June 6, 2002
Regarding the Arkansas 303 d
report:
I understand the Illinois River
is not listed as impaired in your state's newest 303 d list.
If this is the case, I strongly
object and believe this is a very serious oversight.
The Illinois River in Oklahoma
is a legally designated state scenic river.
The Illinois River in Arkansas
and in Oklahoma is degraded by nutrients including phosphorus.
The extent of this impairment is such that Oklahoma has found
it necessary to establish a standard for phosphorus in state
scenic rivers including the Illinois River.
Arkansas and Oklahoma water quality
officials are meeting now on ways in which Arkansas will meet
the new Oklahoma standard.
Certainly one way to meet the
standard would be for Arkansas to acknowledge the damage to the
Illinois River caused by phosphorus and to set a standard for
phosphorus in Arkansas.
I urge you to review your newest
303 d report and rewrite it to show the Illinois River is impaired
by nutrients.
This would be a good faith effort
by Arkansas to show Oklahoma citizens your state is indeed concerned
about protecting the Illinois River in Oklahoma.
Ed Brocksmith
24369 E. 757 Rd.
Tahlequah, OK 74464
918 456-3407
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Brocksmith [mailto:brocksmi@tah-usa.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 5:09 PM
To: Oklahoma Clean Water Group Send
Subject: Arkansas 303 d list
Please remember to comment on
the failure of Arkansas to list the Illinois River on that state's
303 d list of impaired streams.
JULY 8 IS THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS.
The Illinois River is impaired
by nutrients and should be listed. Listing would require an action
plan for improvement.
Fact: Phosphorus levels in the
Illinois River near Siloam Springs, Arkansas are extremely high...well
above Oklahoma's recently approved phosphorus limit of .037 mg/l.
Fact: Arkansas says it is concerned
about phosphorus pollution of the Illinois River in Oklahoma
and wants to work with Oklahoma.
Inclusion of the Illinois River
on the Arkansas 303 d list would be a good start to working toward
a solution.
Ed Brocksmith
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News Release
Contact: Doug Szenher, Public Affairs Supervisor
For release: June 5, 2002
Telephone 501-682-0915 Fax 501-682-0880 E-mail
do-@adeq.state.ar.us
COMMENTS SOUGHT ON 2002 ARKANSAS
303 d LIST
The Arkansas Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) has developed its list of water quality limited
waterbodies in the state, commonly called the 303 (d) List, and
will accept written public comments on the document until July
8, 2002.
The list is designed to identify waters in Arkansas whose designated
uses are being impaired, attempt to determine the cause and degree
of impairment, and prioritize the waters for development during
the next two years of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan
to address the impairment. The decisions for making the proposed
stream listings were based primarily on chemical and physical
water quality data collected and analyzed by the ADEQ. The data
involved more than 7,000 samples, collected between October 1,
1998, and December 31, 2001. ADEQ samples were collected monthly
from 142 permanent sampling stations, bi-monthly from more than
110 other locations, and from special sampling projects. Additional
sampling data was supplied by other government agencies which
regularly collect water samples, including the Arkansas Soil
and Water Conservation Commission, the University of Arkansas'
Water Resources Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.
Geological Survey, and U.S. Forest Service. Copies of the proposed
Arkansas 303 (d) List are available for public inspection at
ADEQ information depositories located in public libraries at
Arkadelphia, Batesville, Blytheville, Camden, Clinton, Crossett,
El Dorado, Fayetteville, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Harrison,
Helena, Hope, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Magnolia,
Mena, Monticello, Mountain Home, Pocahontas, Russellville, Searcy,
Stuttgart, Texarkana, and West Memphis; in campus libraries at
the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of
Central Arkansas at Conway; and in the Arkansas State Library
located on the State Capitol grounds at Little Rock.
In addition, the proposal may
be viewed or downloaded at the Department's Internet web site
located at: www.adeq.state.ar.us .
Written comments on the 303 (d) list will be accepted until 4:30
p.m. July 8, 2002.
Comments should be mailed to:
Doug Szenher, Public Affairs Supervisor
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 8913,
Little Rock, 72219-8913.
E-mail comments may be sent to:
reg-co-@adeq.state.ar.us
, and also must be received by 4:30 p.m. July 8, 2002.
(End of e-mail)
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