Illinois River (Oklahoma) - Definition and Overview

The Illinois River is a tributary of the Arkansas River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long, in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

It rises in the Ozark Mountains in the northwest corner of Arkansas, in Benton County southwest of Bentonville. It flows west into northeast Oklahoma, then southwest and south through the mountains of eastern Oklahoma, past Scraper and Tahlequah. South of Tahlequah, it passes through the reservoir Tenkiller Ferry Lake. It joins the Arkansas at Gore, approximately 20 mi (32 km) southeast of Muskogee. Together with its tributary streams, it has a drainage area of 900 square miles (2330 km²).

The river is a major source of tourism in the area. In 1999, it was estimated to have brought in approximately 500,000 tourists and 9 million dollars to the Oklahoma section of the river. The upper section is a designated scenic river and its lower section is a designated trout stream. The town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma on its banks was the western terminus of the Trail of Tears.

The river is currently the source of a controversy between the two states, with Oklahoma blaming Arkansas for pollution in the river, most notoriously phosphorus contamination by sewage and poultry farm runoff. In December 2003, an agreement was reached between the two states, with Arksansas agreeing to reduce phosphorus output from its waste water treatment plants by 75% over the next ten years, although it does not address poultry-farm runoff.

See also

• List of Arkansas rivers
• List of Oklahoma rivers

External link

• State of Oklahoma: Illinois Basin Water Quality Report (http://www.owrb.state.ok.us/studies/reports/reports_pdf/ArkOKCompactRpt03.pdf) (PDF)