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Columbia River Treaty
Edition:
Columbia River Treaty Review
The Columbia River Treaty is a trans-boundary water management agreement between the United States and Canada
The Columbia River Treaty has no specified end date. Either Canada or the United States can terminate most of the agreement provisions as early as September 16, 2024, provided they give at least 10 years’ notice (by September 16, 2014). Read more
Columbia River Treaty Review Website Is Growing
New information, such as presentations, reports, and technical studies, continue to be added to the Treaty Review website at gov.bc.ca/columbiarivertreaty .
Recent additions to the website include: community session materials; the U.S Entity White Paper describing results of their Iteration 1 computer simulations of future Treaty scenarios and the response from BC Hydro; a link to presentations and material distributed at recent U.S. Entity Listening Sessions; and a link under Further Resources to Northwest Power and Conservation Council information on the Columbia River Treaty. A new Updates page will feature this and future newsletters.
Basin residents continue to join the discussion on the website blog and we are responding to questions posted and other questions and comments sent by email to columbiarivertreaty@gov.bc.ca and through the pre-paid postcards that were included in the Province’s handout material at community sessions.
Basin Residents: The Environment Is Important To Us
During the May and June 2012 community sessions, the Columbia River Treaty 2014 Review Team (CRT Team) heard how important environmental values are to residents of the Columbia Basin. The CRT team is gathering and analyzing information on environmental values, beginning with reviewing environmental values and interests identified during the community sessions, BC Hydro’s Water Use Plans and Non-Treaty Storage Agreement consultations, and during the Columbia Basin Trust’s Education and Awareness sessions (Fall 2011-Winter 2012).
An inter-agency working group is looking at opportunities to further enhance these environmental values under potential Columbia River Treaty scenarios. Participation is primarily from technical experts in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; Environment Canada; BC Hydro; BC Ministry of Environment; and BC Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations. Other expertise is drawn in for specific topics as needed. Work to date has mainly focused on assessing the impact of different operating scenarios on fish, wildlife, and vegetation (for example: kokanee, sturgeon, migratory birds and wetlands) and will be reported out to Basin residents in future consultations.
Treaty Review On The Other Side Of The Border
The United States Columbia River Treaty review is being undertaken by the Bonneville Power Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers as the U.S. Entity. The multi-year review process is centered on the Sovereign Review Team (SRT), a group of four Northwest states, five tribal government representatives and eleven Northwest federal agencies - with whom the U.S. Entity is working to develop a regionally-vetted recommendation on the future of the Treaty. Supporting the SRT is the Sovereign Technical Team, responsible for guiding the technical work. Read more
Join Us OnTwitter
Basin residents asked the Columbia River Treaty Review to use social media in their public consultations. We’re now on Twitter - @CRTreaty! Join the conversation, use #CRTreaty.
Contact the Columbia River Treaty 2014 Review Team
Kathy Eichenberger, Executive Director
(250) 953-3368 Email
Chris Trumpy, Economics
(250) 952-6390 Email
Amy Avila, First Nations Consultation
(250) 387-7614 Email
Ingrid Strauss, Public Consultation
(250) 952-0640 Email
Stephanie Lepsoe, Environment
(250) 387-2505 Email
Sandy King, Administration
(250) 387-2820 Email
Province’s Spring Community Sessions
After visiting seven communities throughout the Columbia River Basin, the Province’s Columbia River Treaty 2014 Review team wrapped up the first round of community sessions on June 20, 2012. More than 360 Columbia Basin residents from Jaffray, Creston, Nakusp, Castlegar, Valemount, Golden and Revelstoke attended the evening sessions. These sessions are the first step of the Province’s public consultation process. Read more
First Nations Consultations Underway
First Nations consultation is a key component of the Columbia River Treaty 2014 Review. Canada and BC has signed an MOU committing to coordination of their consultations with First Nations but will separately develop recommendations to their respective decision makers. Canada and the Columbia River Treaty 2014 Team held initial meetings with the Ktunaxa Nation Council, Okanagan Nation Alliance and Secwepemc Nation individually. Upcoming meetings will next focus on First Nations’ interests within the scope of the Columbia River Treaty. More information will be provided in future newsletters.
Columbia River Treaty Local Governments’ Committee Consulted
The Columbia River Treaty Review Team (CRT Team) consults with and provides Treaty Review updates to the elected officials from local municipalities and regional districts that were appointed to the Columbia River Treaty Local Governments’ Committee (Committee). The Committee’s primary role is to assist local governments and Basin residents to inform decision makers about Basin interests regarding the future of the Columbia River Treaty.
The Committee provided feedback to the CRT Team on how to consult with Basin residents and acted as hosts in their communities during the recent Provincial community sessions. Committee members offer another avenue for Basin residents to communicate with the Province regarding the future of the Columbia River Treaty. Committee members are: Deb Kozak, chair, Councillor Nelson; Karen Hamling, vice-chair, Mayor Nakusp; Hans Cunningham, Area G Director RDCK; Marguerite Rotvold, Chair RDKB; Mike Sosnowski, Area a Director RDEK; Wayne Stetski, Mayor Cranbrook; Linda Worley, Area B Director RDKB; Christina Benty, Mayor Golden; Loni Parker, Area B Director CSRD; Christine Latimer, Councillor Valemount
More information about the Columbia River Treaty Local Governments’ Committee and its membership can be found at: http://www.cbt.org/lgcommittee
Canadian Columbia River Forum Provides Feedback
The Columbia River Treaty Review Team (CRT Team) participated in recent meetings of the Canadian Columbia River Forum (CCRF). Created in 2006 with representation from seventeen Canadian federal, provincial, regional and First Nation agencies, the CCRF provides an information sharing forum in which the participants can discuss initiatives and processes that affect the Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin. The focus of the most recent meetings has been the Columbia River Treaty review led by the Ministry of Energy and Mines’ CRT Team. Following their presentations on the Treaty Review process, the CRT Team answered questions and received feedback from the CCRF attendees. The CRT Team committed to attending future meetings to provide updates to CCRF members and receive their feedback. More information about CCRF can be found at: http://www.ccrf.ca/crt.php
Treaty Review Question of the Month:
Why is Arrow Lakes Reservoir Critical to Flood Control?
The Arrow Lakes Reservoir (Arrow), created as a result of the Columbia River Treaty with the 1968 impoundment of the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes, was viewed as the most important Canadian reservoir for flood control during the original Treaty negotiations. The large amount of storage it could provide quickly and at relatively low economic cost had significant implications for the negotiation of downstream benefits and was the key to making the development of the Columbia River in Canada economic. Read more