Arkansas, Oklahoma Congressmen Host Forum On Water Quality

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Water quality concerns are bringing two lawmakers together to take action.

Two U.S. Representatives, John Boozman of Arkansas and Dan Boren of Oklahoma, held a forum Monday to address the water quality of the Illinois River.

This is the first time the two state leaders are teaming together on the water issue.

In the past, the two states disagreed over ways to improve the region’s water, but now, the two congressmen decided to host a forum to finally bring the two states together to develop a plan to protect the region's water supply.

The Illinois River has been a concern for both Arkansas and Oklahoma, after possible poultry litter runoff may be polluting the river watershed.

"We have concentrated animal production requiring importing of large amounts of feed that leads to nutrient imbalance,” said Dr. Tom Simpson, a water expert and professor at the University of Maryland. "Nutrients are good; we need them. They're essential and yet, when too many of them get into our waterways, they feed algae."

The forum brought water experts from across the country to discuss and offer suggestions in protecting and improving the water quality on the Illinois River.

One suggestion discussed was creating a buffer zone between farmland and the river basin to prevent from future runoff.

Ideas were only introduced at the forum, but state leaders said this joint effort is the first step to maintaining a safe and clean water supply.

“Both of us are committed to working together and having a positive presence in solving these problems,” said U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR). "We all want the same thing, we're so blessed here and we have so many natural resources. We want to protect that."

No specific plans have been set but the two congressmen said they will continue efforts to hopefully develop a plan to protect the regions water.

The two state leaders plan on holding another forum in the near future.