The Norman Transcript

Opinion

Discussion

February 22, 2013

Pact could lead to better water quality

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Groups hoping to preserve and improve water quality in Oklahoma’s streams and rivers have been fighting for better regulations for more than four decades. Many of the state’s waterways have been treated as dumping grounds for agricultural and commercial industries.

Scenic rivers that flow mostly in eastern Oklahoma developed protective constituencies that didn’t mind taking polluters to court to save the rivers. We remember “Save the Illinois” bumper stickers as far back as the mid 1970s.

An agreement signed this week binds Oklahoma and Arkansas on studying the water quality in the Illinois River. Both states want to know the phosphorous load in the river. The state of Arkansas will pay for the $600,000 study, according to The Tulsa World.

The agreement binds states to accepting the “best science” study of the river’s phosphorous load. It was negotiated without the river advocacy group’s participation.

Six technical advisory committee members — three from Oklahoma and three from Arkansas — will oversee the study, which will be conducted by a neutral third party.

With the agreement, for the first time, the state will be able to enforce limits on phosphorous pollution. Excessive phosphorous, usually tied to poultry waste and wastewater plant discharges, can fuel algae growth in lakes and rivers.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Opinion
  • You’ve got to have faith

    Editor, The Transcript: My name is Alice Graham. I live in Leesville, SC and I’m a songwriter/musician. I wrote this song the following morning as I drove to work. I asked the question, “What is it that Moore needs the most today?” and the ...

    May 25, 2013

  • We are disaster central

    Oklahoma is disaster central. Per capita, the state has had more tornadoes and natural catastrophes than any other state. Texas and California have had more but they are much larger and have far more people than Oklahoma....

    May 25, 2013

  • “Free Kate” campaign missing the point

    Apparently, it is not enough to tolerate, accept or even endorse the gay agenda. Now, unless you tolerate and accept criminal behavior committed by gays, you are a hater....

    May 25, 2013

  • Report price gouging

    A report on a national news website claims a store was reported for selling a case of water for $40. Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s office is investigating....

    May 25, 2013

  • Johnson analyzed issue well

    Editor, The Transcript: I would like to thank Jim Johnson for his thoughtful, thorough and sensible analysis of the gun situation in our country.  He has made a meaningful contribution to what one hopes will become a civilized ...

    May 24, 2013

  • New faces on the bench

    Cleveland County is one step closer to getting another district judge. House members overwhelmingly approved the legislation moving a vacant seat from Seminole County in eastern Oklahoma to Cleveland County....

    May 24, 2013

  • The randomness of it all

    A drive through the fringe streets of the damaged areas in Moore and south Oklahoma City this week shows the randomness of Monday’s tornado. Homes that appear to have little or no damage stand next to ones that are ready to be pushed over....

    May 24, 2013

  • Diana Frost letter correction

    Letter correction: A letter to the editor from Diana Frost, originally published in March 2012, was inadvertently published again in Sunday’s paper. The Transcript apologizes for the error....

    May 23, 2013

  • Teachers should be proud

    Editor, The Transcript: He walked by the camera in his red OU T-shirt, splattered with dirt, hair disheveled, and cuts on his face. He told the reporter about helping rescue people from the rubble of the tornado. He spoke of his experience ...

    May 23, 2013

  • Misinformation clouds global warming

    Next spring I will again have to update my lecture on global warming. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is now rising above the 400 ppm level for the first time in perhaps 5 million years — a scenario humans have never experienced. In my Geology ...

    May 23, 2013