Water-quality groups from Arkansas and Missouri have applied for a $1 million federal grant to help them clean up the White River Basin.

The grant application is a part of a new program that federal Environmental Protection Agency officials hope to get money for in 2003.

The White River Basin covers more than 3,000 square miles in the two states and include Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lake, plus 300 miles of river.

A part of the watershed grant would require agencies in several jurisdictions to cooperate with with local organizations. Seven watershed groups in Missouri and Arkansas teamed up for the grant application.

If approved, the grant calls for a three-pronged attack on nutrient overloading in the streams and rivers feeding the basin's reservoirs.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are necessary to maintain a healthy aquatic environment, but excessive levels cause rampant algae growth and degrade water quality.

The effort in the White River Basin comes as officials across northwest Arkansas grapple with phosphorus problems that have also prompted discord with Oklahoma. Many streams in the region that aren't part of the White River system end up flowing west into Oklahoma.

Much of the focus on reducing phosphorus dumped into the region's streams has targeted industry and area utilities, but some say residents also must change their habits.

Rene Langston, director of Springdale Water Utilities, wants cities to consider the impact that residents could have by changing the products they use every day when they work in their gardens or wash dishes.

At November's Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority meeting, Langston asked the group to consider pressing area cities to restrict the use of consumer products with phosphorus, such as fertilizer and cleaning solutions.

The joint Missouri-Arkansas effort represents a new stage in cooperation, officials said.

Anne Miners, director of the Beaver Lake Watershed Partnership, said obtaining federal help for watersheds that cross state lines has been difficult in the past.

Seven watershed groups in Missouri and Arkansas teamed up for the grant application, Miners said. The Upper White River Basin Foundation led by Floyd Gilzow will be the primary coordinator for the grant.