Judge Rules In Poultry Litter Fight

Associated Press

TULSA, OK -- A federal judge has denied Oklahoma's motion for a preliminary injunction to stop 13 Arkansas poultry companies from disposing of bird waste in the Illinois River watershed.

In a ruling Monday, Judge Gregory K. Frizzell wrote that the state "has not yet met its burden of proving that bacteria in the waters of the IRW are caused by the application of poultry litter rather than by other sources, including cattle manure and human septic systems."

The state sued the companies in 2005, saying litter pollution rendered Lake Tenkiller in northeastern Oklahoma 70 percent oxygen dead and accused the companies of treating Oklahoma's rivers like open sewers.