Phosphorus Levels Lower In Illinois River

Efforts By Northwest Arkansas Cities Cited as Reasons For Improvement

Friday, Sep 24, 2004

By: Scott F. Davis

NW Arkansas Morning News

LAKE DARDANELLE STATE PARK-- The phosphorous flowing down the Illinois River from Washington and Benton Counties into Northeast Oklahoma dropped dramatically from 2002 to 2003, two different reports presented Thursday to Arkansas and Oklahoma officials showed.

Northwest Arkansas cities, especially Springdale, are doing a much better job of reducing phosphorus levels in wastewater plant discharges in tributaries of the Illinois River and this is reflected in the reports, officials said.

"Both states came to the same conclusion. It looks like point sources have already begun to make a difference..." said Derek Smithee, chief of the water quality division of Oklahoma's Water Resource Board.

Mary Leath, deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, said in an interview she believes the data show efforts by Arkansas cities to reduce phosphorus from treatment plants is already starting to make a difference.

Another reason for the drop is 2003 was a very dry year with about half the rainfall of the year before, officials of both states agreed.

The Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission meets this morning in a room overlooking Lake Dardanelle to discuss its annual report on water quality and phosphorus levels in the Illinois River and its tributaries.

The report shows the concentration of phosphorus south of Siloam Springs near the state line dropped from 0.28 parts per million during 2002 to 0.22 in 2002. This remain well below the limit of 0.037 parts per million included in Oklahoma's water quality standards, which Arkansas officials insist is not reasonable or attainable.

A separate report presented by Mark Nelson of the Arkansas Water Resource Center showed similar results for 2003. Nelson said his research -- which include comprehensive storm flow data -- shows phosphorus levels in the Illinois River is comparable to other Arkansas streams. The White River at Wyman Bridge shows higher phosphorus concentrations than the Illinois River, he said.

Both reports show phosphorus -- measured in kilograms at the state line site -- dropped in half over that period, mostly because of lower flows.

Dick Cassett, chief of the Department's technical services division, said phosphorus levels in the Illinois River during 2004 continue to show significant improvement, even though the current year has not been a dry one like last year. This data was not presented Thursday.

High levels of phosphorus promote excessive algae bloom, which can degrade water quality, lower oxygen levels and cause water to turn green.

About 30 scientists, agency officials, lobbyists and others haggled for more than an hour during Thursday's environmental and engineering committee about the meaning of the commission report, which includes data from both states using a methodology developed in the early 1990's.

Smithee cautioned officials from putting too much faith in it, because of its outdated methodology.

"We run the risk of this data being interpreted as the grade of how healthy our rivers are," Smithee said.

Smithee pointed out the commission's report does little to show if there have been any significant improvement in non-point source pollution, which includes animal waste, commercial fertilizer and other sources of phosphorous getting carried into streams by stormwater runoff. The report measures the concentration of phosphorus in the river and the total amount flowing downstream. Numbers in the report tend to be better during years of low flow, because both concentrations and flows are higher during storms.

The original purpose of the annual report was to measure progress toward a 40 percent phosphorus reduction recommended in a report on Lake Tenkiller near Tahlequah. This year's report-- using a five-year average -- shows two stream segments reaching this goal: the Baron Fork at Dutch Mills and at Eldon, Okla.

Commissioners will try to figure out today how to pay for a better way of measuring phosphorus levels in shared streams, a responsibility they inherited as part of a water quality deal reached between the states in December. The Commission's initial charge was to monitor shared water quantity, but in the past decade its focus has shifted to water quality.

Oklahoma officials said Thursday federal funding they had hoped would pay for an ambitious 5-year, $10 million testing plan has still not come through.

"Even if we get funding, we're still left with the issue of data interpretation," said Smithee.

Arkansas spends about $300,000 and Oklahoma spends about $250,000 each year testing water quality in shared streams, officals said.

Leath also pointed out the commission's historical data tend to be trending upward, while Arkansas' numbers are dropping, a claim Oklahoma officials dismissed.