14 THEY A UsD UW BiOING Bi Us bebe raiay 
A Recent Letter from the 
Attorney General About the 
Oakley-Allerton Controversy 
July 16, 1968 
Mr. Bruce Hannon 
1208 Union Street 
Champaign, Illinois 
Dear Mr. Hannon: 
| want to thank you for your letter of June 16 and apologize 
for my tardiness in replying. 
| am well aware of the impact of the Oakley Project upon 
your locale and of the conflict and controversy it has generated. 
You asked me to assess the situation as a candidate for the 
Senate and | have done so. These are some of my observa- 
tions: 
1. An agonizing period of time has now passed and still the 
Oakley Project is unresolved. It suggests, at best, only fringe 
concern by those who represent you in Washington. 
2. | am advised that there were virtually no meaningful public 
hearings on this project, except those conducted before the 
Congressional Appropriations unit on May 1-2, 1968. 
3. It is clear that the question of project alternatives has been 
studied to the point of exhaustion and yet no conclusive solu- 
tion has been achieved. 
4. Regrettably, the issue has generated needless conflict be- 
tween the City of Decatur and Macon County and its neighbor- 
ing communities and counties. 
5. A great deal of money—public money—has now been ex- 
pended with few meaningful results. 
6. It appears that the project was begun in the first place with 
insufficient forethought. | note that as the project expanded 
in scope, public resistance increased proportionately and your 
representation in Washington quickly called for reassessment. 
7. The project now rests—or perhaps languishes is a better 
word—in impasse. 
8. The partial inundation of Allerton Park is glaringly contrary 
to the intent of its donor and purposes of the University of 
Illinois. 
9. The City of Decatur, which rightfully views water reserves 
as a primary factor in the health and economic planning of its 
future, cannot continue to delay positive action. Progress in 
this area is as important to the sector in general as it is to 
Decatur in particular. 
10. Finally, there is insufficient evidence that the Oakley Dam 
Project is the only solution available to the City of Decatur. 
The technology of water control and treatment is advancing 
rapidly and new innovations are on the scene. | have examined 
various analyses of the water treatment facilities of the City of 
