Illinois River Timeline

  • 1970 (JG)

    Oklahoma designates the Illinois River a scenic water way under the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
  • 1972 (JG)

    U.S. government passes the Clean Water Act
  • 1988 (JG)

    Environmental Protection Agency permits Fayetteville,Arkansas, to dump treated waste water into a tributary of the Illinois River: Oklahoma Sues.
  • 1992 (JG)

    U.S. Supreme Court rules Arkansas may dump treated sewage into the Illinois River watershed, but that it must meet Oklahoma water quality standards.
  • 1993 (JM)

    Oklahoma begins gathering data on phosphorous and other pollutants in the Illinois River.
  • 1996 (JM)

    state of Oklahoma issues report detailing high levels of contaminates in Lake Tenkiller
  • 2003 (JM)

    Arkansas and Oklahoma agree to work together to reduce pollution in the Illinois River watershed.
  • September 2004 (JM)

    Poultry companies submit plan to reduce chicken littler application in Oklahoma river watershed. Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson call plan "lacking"
  • June 2005 (K.W.)

    Edmondson files a federal lawsuit against 14 poultry compainies, accusing them of polluting the Illinois River watershed with chicken litter.
  • November 2007 (K.W.)

    Citing data obtained through water and soil samples, state seeks preliminary injunction banning the use of poultry litter in the Illinois River watershed.
  • September 2008 (K.W.)

    Judge rejects state's request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the land application of poultry waste.
  • 2008 (KW)

    Poultry industry seeks to have case dismissed because Cherokee Nation has water rights in the watershed.
  • 2009 (M.A.)

    Federal trail begins in Judge Gregory Frizzell's courtroom.
  • 2009 (M.A.)

    Judges rules that state can't seek millions in damages because it failed to property include the Cherokee Nation, which claims water in the watershed.
  • 2010 (M.A.)

    Final arguments in chicken poultry case. After more then five years, no decision has been rendered.
  • 2009 (MA)

    Federal trial begins in Judge Gregory Frizzell's courtroom.
  • 2013 (JK)

    Oklahoma and Arkansas announce joint three-year study of water quality in the Illinois River watershed.
  • oct. 1 2015 (JK

    Environmental protection agency makes available for comment a proposed illinois river watershed modeling program.(J.K.)