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INTENSIVE SURVEY OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER (ARKANSAS AND OKLAHOMA) IN AUGUST 1985
Citation:
Gakstatter, J. AND A. Katko. INTENSIVE SURVEY OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER (ARKANSAS AND OKLAHOMA) IN AUGUST 1985. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-87/040 (NTIS PB88117056).
Description:
A water quality survey of the Illinois River Basin was conducted August 16-29, 1985, in response to concerns that water clarity had decreased in the lower reach which is designated as an Oklahoma scenic river. The survey results demonstrated that background phosphorus concentrations in the basin were very low; however, Osage Creek, which carried treated wastewater from two Arkansas municipalities, typically had total phosphorus concentrations much higher than background and substantially increased total phosphorus in the Illinois River above Lake Frances. Water in the Illinois River, entering Lake Frances, was somewhat turbid from inorganic particles of natural origin and rich in phosphorus. The high phosphorus levels supported substantial algal growth in Lake Frances and the phytoplankton, combined with suspended inorganic particles, diminished water clarity in the river for 20 miles or more below the Lake Frances Dam.