Judgment has been rendered against a number of poultry companies operating in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. At issue is contamination of the Illinois River watersheds due to runoff of phosphorus from poultry waste applied to agricultural land. A federal judge ruled that the defendant companies breached the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Code. Accordingly fines ranging from $10,000 to $160,000 were imposed on six defendants involved in broiler and egg production.
The case has wound through the legal system for over two decades but recently became the subject of conflict between Gentner Drummond, Attorney General of Oklahoma and Governor Kevin Stitt.
The judgment requires a remediation program with a Court-appointed Master to review planning and implementation with appropriate monitoring of phosphorus levels in soil and water. Farms will be required to develop new and effective waste management plans.
The judgment and mandated remediation suggest alternative methods of disposal of broiler litter and waste from egg-production farms. This implies the future application of available technology including composting and some form of processing to remove phosphorus.
Going forward, a limit of two tons of poultry waste per acre per year has been imposed. In addition the Court imposed a threshold phosphorus level of 120 pounds per acre for land application within the Illinois River watershed as a standard.