TULSA, Okla. – A federal judge has denied Oklahoma’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop Arkansas poultry companies from disposing of bird waste in the Illinois River watershed.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who requested the injunction last year, said Monday's ruling had no impact on the state's environmental case against the companies, which is set to begin in 2009.

Edmondson sued the companies in 2005. While gathering evidence for the pollution case, Edmondson reportedly said the state "discovered the excessive land application of poultry waste could be a danger to public health," and argued in court for the injunction earlier this year.

But U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell ruled that Oklahoma had not met the burden of proof that bacteria were caused by the poultry waste. The judge also said that the levels of bacteria were at similar levels to watersheds that did not have a similar application of poultry waste.

Source: Associated Press