The Grand River Dam Authority says it’s high time to take a look at the Illinois River.
For the first time in about 20 years, a carrying capacity study will be done on the Illinois River. GRDA spokesman Justin Alberty said they’ve hired OSU to perform the study.
"They're the ones that we've used before on Grand Lake, so they certainly have the background, and they have the expertise to do this," Alberty said.
OSU's geography department will look at how many boaters the river can support, how many actually use the river and how that affects the area.
"You know, it's all about a balance," Alberty said. "What can the river take? How much of that can it take? And we just want to make sure that we've got a plan in place going forward to help protect the interests of the public, the people who want to recreate there, and then the river itself and the other areas associated with the river."
The agricultural economics department will carry out a fiscal study.
GRDA took on the duties of the now-defunct Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission earlier this summer.
