Nex Round to Begin in Chicken Litter Fight

OKLAHOMA - Negotiation between Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson and eight poultry companies over water quality in the Illinois River watershed failed Thursday, a representative for six of the poultry companies said.

A lawsuit is the latest in 20 years of battles between Oklahoma and Arkansas regarding the amount of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the watershed.

Oklahoma officials, and many scientists, say excessive phosphorus causes rampant algae growth, which can result in taste and odor problems in the water and destruction of aquatic life.

Source: The Morning News

19 August 2005