Arkansas and Oklahoma state agencies have signed an agreement which commits the states to work together to address concerns about water quality in the Illinois River.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality says that the agency, along with the state's Natural Resources Commission and Oklahoma's Secretary of Energy and Environment and Secretary of Agriculture, agreed Wednesday to work collaboratively to develop a watershed improvement plan.
The agreement also committed the agencies to jointly increase cooperative access to data and water quality improvements, as well as create "science-based" regulation and permitting actions.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the effort "innovative" while Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin praised the "collaborative" effort.
Residents in the Illinois River watershed have complained of pollution from expanded poultry operation waste in northeastern Oklahoma.
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