Arkansas planners and environmentalists are waiting to see if Oklahoma will implement recommendations from a study on the level of phosphorus in the Illinois River.
Arkansas groups spent about $600,000 on the study using samples from 35 sites over two years. An independent third-party was used to prevent bias, said Ryan S. King, the Baylor University professor who led the study.
Nuisance algae
At certain levels, phosphorus making its way into the Illinois River will cause algae blooms that can take up too much oxygen and cause fish kills during drought-like conditions. Phosphorus also can cause the bottom of the river to be covered in bright green algae that later will break off and end up on the river banks, where it will create an odor. Depending on the amount in the river, phosphorus can hurt the environment, quality of the water and scenic value of the river.
Source: Staff report
The result led to a comprehensive analysis of phosphorus in the river and is part of a joint effort between the two states to keep the water clear based on science, King said.
Any change in the amount of phosphorus could affect discharge permits for wastewater treatment plants, storm water permits and regulations on commercial agriculture in Benton and Washington counties, planners said.
Most Northwest Arkansas cities empty treated wastewater into the Illinois River, said Jeff Hawkins, executive director for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. As regulations for amounts of phosphorus tighten, residents could see rates increase.
"It could have a significant economic impact to Northwest Arkansas, especially for ratepayers," Hawkins said.
The impact of the jointly supported Oklahoma-Arkansas study is unclear, state environmental experts say. There is no time frame set to implement the recommendations.
"There are water quality and other environmental standards in place that many people are skeptical about because they are not based on science -- this [study] is based on very good science," King said. "I think it shows that science can inform policy."
The final report to the governors from the Joint Study Committee and Scientific Professionals was released Dec. 19.
Scientists recommended in the study to change the process for sampling the water to a six-month average and excluding samples taken during heavy rain. They also recommended the river's phosphorus not exceed 0.035 milligrams per liter, a slight drop from the current Oklahoma-set number of 0.037 milligrams per liter.
The recommendation is the river is assessed over a longer period of time, on a rhythmic average and based on water samples collected only during critical conditions -- meaning excluding periods of storm flow, King said. That process likely will benefit Northwest Arkansas, said J. Ryan Benefield, deputy director at the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.
"It's more realistic for what is needed to protect the river," Benefield said.
The study's recommendations, if implemented, could mean plants that discharge into the river will not see discharge limits tighten as much as previously thought, Benefield said. That could mean less cost to those facilities.
Arkansas environmental and resource leaders plan to review the study's findings as they develop a model for water quality regulations, Benefield said. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing the study and will work with the resources commission on any potential next steps, environmental agency spokeswoman Kelly Robinson said in an email.
Benefield said a version of the model is expected to be released for public review in the next two months.
The change in the phosphorus amount in King's study isn't large enough to trigger any mandatory changes, according to a joint contract between Oklahoma and Arkansas signed in 2013.
Oklahoma environment and resource officials plan to review the report and could make changes at some point, but there is no timeline, Shellie Chard, water division director for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. The river should be further assessed, including looking at other pollutants, she said.
Among the most important aspect of the study is it continues a dialogue between the states, Robinson said.
Oklahoma sued Arkansas over the amount of phosphorus going downstream into Oklahoma. A ruling on that lawsuit was never made.
Chard and others said the study isn't directly related to the lawsuit. The new study is a continuation of ongoing talks about how to protect the river, Robinson said.
"This final report is important to Arkansas because it advanced the scientific analysis of the Oklahoma standard and provides an opportunity for continued open dialogue between the two states," Robinson said. "ADEQ expects this successful collaboration between the two states to continue."
Meanwhile, environmental experts are unsure Arkansas can meet the new recommended amount.
Besides wastewater, Northwest Arkansas still must deal with environmental issues that include stream-bank erosion, fast-moving water picking up pollutants from hard surfaces, and runoff from construction sites and farms, said Nicole Hardiman, executive director at the Illinois River Watershed Partnership.
Benefield said Northwest Arkansas has greatly reduced phosphorus going into the river during the past 10 years. Conservation, repairing streams, adding best land-use practices and other programs are working, he and other experts said. Despite those improvements, meeting the newly recommended number at the Arkansas-Oklahoma border is about a 50-50 chance, Hardiman said.
"The question now is: What do we want to do about that?" Hardiman said. "As a community, we are not going to meet that assessment concentration if we don't address both point sources and nonpoint sources [pollution] in the watershed."
NW News on 01/22/2017