Gregory Scott of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission told the court a ban on using chicken litter as fertilizer is the only way to significantly reduce phosphorus pollution in Oklahoma’s eastern waterways.
He was testifying in a case in which Tyson Foods and other poultry companies were judged guilty of water pollution and now Judge Gregory Frizzell is pondering recommendations to deal with the issue.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office presented multiple expert witnesses, including Scott, who also suggested vegetative buffer strips and planting hay in phosphorus-rich areas to mitigate the problem.
Removing hay from the watershed could significantly reduce phosphorus levels, Scott testified, according to reporting from Investigate Midwest.
While Scott recommended banning chicken litter fertilizer, Drummond’s office clarified this was not a specific request but part of expert testimony.
Drummond has proposed a phosphorus application limit of 65 pounds per acre, far below the current state limit of 300 pounds.
Poultry companies argued that trucking chicken litter out of state has mitigated its impact, though one of their witnesses acknowledged the waterways remain impaired by state standards.
