Oklahoma, Arkansas agree to test water quality, phosphorus levels of Illinois River

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The attorneys general of Oklahoma and Arkansas have signed an agreement to study the water quality of the Illinois River.

The agreement was reached following months of negotiations among officials of both states on limits for phosphorus in the section of the river that travels through 100 miles of eastern Oklahoma.

The study will be conducted using Environmental Protection Agency-approved methods that ensure scientifically reliable data collection and analysis. The agreement eliminates the potential for costly litigation over Oklahoma's regulatory standard for phosphorus concentrations within the Illinois River watershed. Arkansas has maintained that the standard is unattainable.

Both states agreed to be bound by the outcome of the study, which is expected to take three years to complete. Oklahoma's phosphorous standard will remain in effect while the study is conducted.