The state is asking a federal judge to stop poultry companies from dropping animal waste in the 1 million-acre Illinois River watershed. Tuesday's scheduled hearing on Attorney General Drew Edmondson's request for a preliminary injunction is part of Oklahoma's ongoing lawsuit against more than a dozen Arkansas-based poultry companies for polluting the watershed with chicken litter.

Edmondson cites an "imminent and substantial endangerment of the public health" and maintains that unless the court grants the request by the spring, the fecal bacteria found in the waste could pose a health threat to the 155,000 people who recreate in the river valley each year.

Last week, attorneys for the poultry companies responded to the injunction request, saying it was supported by unreliable evidence and could force area farmers out of business.

More than 576,000 acres of the watershed are located in Oklahoma.