An Illinois River advocacy group filed the only appeal of a sewage-discharge permit issued to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority.

The deadline to appeal the permit’s issuance was Friday.

The lone appeal came from Save the Illinois River, a not-for-profit group based in Tahlequah, Okla., that monitors activities in the Illinois River watershed.

The organization said the permit, issued Oct. 7 by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality,violates the federal Clean Water Act. The group claims that the sewer plant - under construction west of Lowell - would pollute the Illinois River, which Oklahoma has designated as a scenic river.

“Neither Oklahoma nor Arkansas has conducted required studies to determine how much phosphorus can be added to the streams without ...