TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Environmentalists were dealt a setback in their push for regulations on the Arkansas River.
They wanted the OK DEQ to require the city of Tulsa to test the water in the river.
“I was not surprised,” said environmentalist Fred Storer. He saw this day coming, but it didn’t keep him from trying time and again to get water testing regulations implemented on the Arkansas river.
“We wanted the DEQ to require the city of Tulsa to sample the water in the river where the people are supposedly going to be,” he said.
But the DEQ said that they don’t have, “the legal authority to require the City of Tulsa to monitor the Arkansas River…” Storer disagrees, and says the department has tremendous powers but…
“The problem is that the DEQ doesn’t want this authority,” he said.
Meanwhile, despite not being required to test the city told News Channel 8 that, “The City remains committed to developing water quality testing protocols…(and) once protocols are developed, water quality testing will continue to occur at the lake, with results regularly posted online.” A sentiment echoed by city officials back in August.
“A priority for the council is to test the river,” said Tulsa city councilor Jeannie Cue.
“We know that the public needs to know is this a safe place or me and for my family to get into the water?,” said Blake Ewing, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff.
The answer to that question according to Fred Storer?
“You know, when this lake is filed up, allowing your children to go play in the water is child abuse,” he said.
Testing and the Arkansas river, a loss for environmentalists who pledge to stay in the fight for transparency.
“All we can do at this point is just go to all of the city council meetings where they have their committee that’s going to work on this and where they discuss these issues with a consultant that they’ve hired to design the plan, etc. and just keep raising hell,” he said.
