Comments on: What will happen to the Lower Illinois?

By: Ron Udouj

Ron Udouj — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:57:10 +0000

I am a property owner and have fished the Lower Illinois since before Tenkiller! There has always been a flow! We used our stimulus money to “fix’ something that did not need fixing as this life giving flow was central to Oklahoma’s great trout fishery! I now have seen all the fish dead as fish do not live on dry ground!
Oklahoma’s EPA requirement for dissolved oxygen is being violated as the oxygen is below the level for fish life! The Illinois wants it’s natural flow returned as it always has been in the past so all of us can once again enjoy our right to fish in a water that has fish! Turn the tap back on! EPA must laws must be enforced! The law surely would be enforced on any private individual! Write or call your legislator today

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:07:21 +0000

oh….and, I understand that the USACE “owns” / controls the water and the rights are leased to someone else but “We the People..” own the Corps and we need to get the right people involved to force them to take action. By in large we have good representation at the national level (Senators & Reps) but if we don’t let them know our views and opinions then they won’t know they need to pull strings and fight for things that are important to Oklahomans. Email, write letters, make phone calls, get involved. Often we forget and they basically have never really believed that they work for us, the voters. I’ve emailed both Senators and my Tom Cole, everyone needs to do the same.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:06:32 +0000

I think someone needs to do an economic impact assessment of the water flowing from the lake. I work for the Army and before we do anything that costs money we do Cost Benefit Analyses. That’s what needs to happen here. Calculate the cost, develop the over-all benefit and show everyone that the loss is greater than the gain, then someone may listen.

By: edgodfrey

edgodfrey — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:00:29 +0000

It’s both.

By: earnest crist

earnest crist — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:12:13 +0000

I’m confused–is it water quality or quantity that is the problem here? It is kind of hard to tell by the story.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:55:51 +0000

I can’t believe that the State can’t demand the dam to generate power more often. However I don’t want to sound like a communist but for to long now the State has wasted so much taxpayer money on State Parks it is really ashame. I live in southest Oklahoma and travel to Gore at least 4 times a year to fish in the Lower Illinois and what an asset that is to our State. How much money does that bring into our State? Why are we as taxpayers not getting heard from? Are we not speaking loud enough? Are the people that we elect getting there pocket’s filled by lobbiest and they don’t care? It appears to me that the State Parks Department is the one that keeps getting cut when the budget gets cut. HELLO STATE GOVERNMENT TOURISM in this great State should be a MAJOR PRIORITY NOT SOMETHING PUT ON THE BACK BURNER!!!!!! States that premote major tourism aren’t or doesn’t appear to be financially straped simply because of the revenue that is generated I know personally of a state park that was closed in the early 80′s and the concrete pads that once had picnic tables now have trees growing though them the I am not a CPA but I do know that buildings that use to house bathrooms are now used as a tree storage because they are growing through the building. What was once a family gathering place is now a place for druggies to meet and sell there dope I know this because the local sheriff gets called there all the time for drug periphanellia being found there it is just a really sad that our State and we as taxpayers have allowed this to happen and we need to speak out and let it not happen again!!!!!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:29:44 +0000

I grew up on lake Tenkiller and have fished the lake my whole life. Recently, I have taken up trout fishing. This spring I fished the Watts area and it was amazing. I caught 60 trout in about 5 hours. It would be an absolute travesty if the water issues do not get solved imediately. Where is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?