Inhofe believes swimming in Grand Lake cause of his illness
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau on Jul 1, 2011, at 10:40 AM Updated on 7/01/11 at 12:48 PM
Sen. Jim Inhofe. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World File
CONTACT THE REPORTER
Email
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Friday he is convinced he became ill after swimming in the algae in Grand Lake earlier this week.
"There is no question,'' the Oklahoma Republican said, linking what he thought was a routine dive into the lake last Monday morning to a severe upper respiratory illness.
"That night, Monday night, I was just deathly sick."
Inhofe and his wife, Kay, have had a home on the lake for decades, and he has never seen that kind of algae in the water previously.
"I didn't think anything about it,'' he said, recalling that he had encouraged his 13-year-old granddaughter to join him in the water but she declined.
"She didn't want to get in that green stuff.''
Inhofe, whose Grand Lake home is located near Ketchum, said he is following the meeting scheduled today by the Grand River Dam Authority and predicted they will take some kind of action in response to the algae.
After leaving for Tulsa mid-week and missing a few votes, the 76-year-old senator expressed confidence he has turned the corner on the illness and plans to return to the U.S. Capitol next week.
Inhofe's sense of humor already has kicked in again.
One of the leading Republican voices on such issues, he suggested a few humorous takes from others: "The environment strikes back'' or ''Inhofe is attacked by the environment.''
CONTACT THE REPORTER
Email
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
