Poultry litter lawsuit spreads

OKLAHOMA CITY - The state of Oklahoma may seek to enter poultry growers' properties this week as part of the attorney general's lawsuit against several poultry companies.

The state would take soil, water and litter samples as part of a lawsuit Drew Edmondson filed against 13 companies, accusing them of polluting the Illinois River watershed with poultry litter.

Court documents show that the state will be ready to start sampling tomorrow.

However, some poultry growers who have been selected for sampling say they haven't received the required 72 hours minimum advance notice from the state.

The state is seeking the samples to measure the effect poultry litter has on waterways after it washes from fields where it's applied by farmers as fertilizer.

Source: KTen.com

12 June 2006