Oklahoma Water Resources Center addresses Illinois River watershed issues

Friday, November 7, 2014

The Oklahoma Water Resources Center, housed at Oklahoma State University, recently organized a symposium with the Arkansas Water Resources Center to discuss water quality advancements and future research, outreach and education needs in the Illinois River watershed.

Sponsored by the Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs, the symposium took place in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. The approximately 75 invited participants learned about projects that have been conducted or are still underway in the watershed by agencies, university researchers and Cooperative Extension personnel in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

“While water quality has been reported to be improving in the watershed through additional treatment of point source discharges, poultry litter management education and litter export, much of the research presented highlighted the importance of legacy phosphorus stored in the watershed, including phosphorus stored in streambed and streambank sediments,” said Garey Fox, OWRC interim director.

The watershed is the source for water supplies used by the City of Tulsa and it contains many of Oklahoma’s scenic rivers, which are treasured resources for both recreation and tribal use.

“The importance of the Illinois River watershed to both Arkansas and Oklahoma was evident from the meeting’s attendance and lively discussion,” Fox said. “The facilitated discussion at the end of the program generated important information on future research and Extension needs in the watershed as we move forward.”

There is no doubt the quality of water from this watershed is of utmost importance. The representatives from the OWRC, AWRC and other agencies identified three primary research needs for the future.

A top priority was to identify and reduce legacy phosphorus sources. The other need was to better understand the impact of urban development and withdrawals on streamflow in the watershed. Economic studies also are needed on optimizing the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) in the watershed.

Three primary Extension needs also were identified. The group expressed a need for a report card on the current water quality status of the watershed developed collaboratively by all agencies, youth education on valuing and understanding natural resources and increasing the visibility of county Extension offices in the watershed.

More information, including presentations from the symposium, is available at water.okstate.edu/IRW.