TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-
For tens of thousands of people, the 100-mile long Illinois River, with its clear, cold and fast-flowing waters, is the summer destination for swimming and floating in canoes, rafts and kayaks.
But sprinkled among the families and church groups are floaters who flock to the northeastern Oklahoma waterway with ice chests full of beer for the journey of three hours or more, a tradition that has prompted state officials to consider prohibiting alcohol at the river.
An alcohol ban could be in place as early as May 2007 if the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission approves a plan that was first proposed in June. The OSRC created a subcommittee to further look into the issue.
OSRC Administrator Ed Fite said a state budget reduction means there are only 10 rangers to patrol 100 miles of river.
"During Memorial Day weekend, folks complained about disturbances on the river and the lack of rangers," Fite said. "But they (the rangers) became a full-time taxi service for public drunks."
The ban has drawn opposition from float companies that say it will diminish their business, but others support the proposal.
Besides 48 alcohol-related arrests over the Memorial Day weekend, one man died in a car accident near the river and another man lost his eye after another man hit him in the face with a rock, records show. The latter incidents also were alcohol-related.
