TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Two water-quality organizations in Oklahoma and Arkansas are moving fast on anti-pollution initiatives for the Illinois River watershed.

The Illinois River Watershed Partnership, in existence for less than three months, has secured a $300,000 grant from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for education and outreach on urban pollution in the watershed.

Luanne Diffin, a member of the partnership, spoke to members of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission on Thursday.

The Scenic Rivers Commission and The Illinois River Watershed Partnership agreed Thursday night to keep the lines of communication open, despite current legal battles over pollution in the watershed.

Scenic Rivers Commissioners voted to allow Ed Fite, administrator of the commission, to keep the partnership informed of work the commission is doing.

Commissioners voted down a deal that would have used a portion of the money donated by Arkansas poultry companies to allow the state to form a federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

The majority of members appeared to favor the idea of leveraging the poultry donation to get more money to protect the Illinois River and other scenic streams in the watershed, but were concerned about a few issues.

If approved, the money would draw a four to one federal match to help reduce pollution from sediment and nutrients in the Illinois River and other scenic streams in the watershed. Jennifer Owen, a commission member, said she was concerned that using the money for the enhancement program would prevent them from using a portion of the money to restore stream banks.

Other members were concerned that they could not legally encumber $750,000 of the $1.1 million gift because the money would be paid out over four years.

The commission allocated some of the money Thursday to refurbish permanent bathrooms and buy more portable bathrooms to place along the Illinois River. They also agreed to co-fund water sampling stations operated by the U.S. Geological Service and to provide $10,000 to maintain the Web site for the commission for education and outreach.

That would leave about $191,000 for fiscal year 2006, Fite said.

Gerald Hilshire asked that the reserve enhancement program be put back on the agenda for the group's next meeting once some of the questions could be answered.

Dan Butler, director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission's water-quality division, said the money would be used as in-kind match, meaning the Scenic Rivers Commission would not have to actually give up the money, but use it for programs it already said it plans to do.

Those programs were specified by the Poultry Commission with at least $500,000 to be used for stream bank restoration.

Butler said money from the gift could still be used for restoring stream banks.

The federal money given to the state would be used to buy riparian easements from landowners, particularly farmers along the river. Butler also said more money could be put into the program in later years without having to write a new grant.

The program is funded by the Farm Services Administration.

The easements would be fenced to keep cattle off the land and out of the streams. Trees and brush would be allowed to grow up along the river banks to help protect the banks from erosion and to filter sediment and nutrients from water running off fields, Butler said.

Butler said the program would also include the Eucha-Spavinaw watershed, but all money from the Scenic Rivers Commission would be spent in the Illinois River watershed.

"We wouldn't be using any of their money for the Eucha-Spavinaw," he said.