Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909

E25315

bilateral treaty environmental agreement international treaty water treaty

The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 is a foundational agreement between the United States and Canada that established principles and mechanisms for preventing and resolving disputes over shared boundary waters.

Aliases (3)

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	bilateral treaty → environmental agreement → international treaty → water treaty →
appliesTo	United States–Canada border → boundary waters between the United States and Canada →
cameIntoForce	1910-05-05 →
countrySignatory	Canada → United States →
creates	International Joint Commission →
dateSigned	1909-01-11 →
establishesBody	International Joint Commission →
establishesMechanism	approval process for projects affecting boundary waters → joint reference of disputes to the International Joint Commission →
geographicScope	Great Lakes basin → St. Lawrence River system → other boundary waters along the United States–Canada border →
governs	apportionment of boundary waters between the United States and Canada →
hasArticle	Article I → Article II → Article III → Article IV → Article VII →
hasFormalName	Treaty Between the United States and Great Britain Relating to Boundary Waters and Questions Arising Between the United States and Canada →
hasShortName	Boundary Waters Treaty →
influenced	later United States–Canada environmental and water agreements →
isFoundationFor	International Joint Commission’s mandate →
language	English →
legalStatus	in force →
locationSigned	Washington, D.C. →
principle	equal and similar rights for use of boundary waters by both countries → no use of boundary waters shall cause injury to the other country → obligation to obtain approval for certain uses and diversions of boundary waters →
purpose	to prevent and resolve disputes over boundary waters between the United States and Canada → to provide principles for the use and management of shared boundary waters →
region	North America →
regulates	diversions of boundary waters → uses of boundary waters for irrigation → uses of boundary waters for navigation → uses of boundary waters for power generation →
relatedTo	Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement → United States–Canada environmental cooperation →
signatoryParty	Government of the Dominion of Canada → Government of the United States of America → United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland →
subject	boundary waters → international rivers → transboundary water management → water rights →
yearCameIntoForce	1910 →
yearSigned	1909 →

Referenced by (10)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement → Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact →	relatedTo
Canada–United States border region →	environmentalCooperationFramework
International Joint Commission →	formedByTreaty
Saint Lawrence River →	governedByTreaty
Niagara River →	governingTreaty
Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 ("Treaty Between the United States and Great Britain Relating to Boundary Waters and Questions Arising Between the United States and Canada") →	hasFormalName
Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 ("Boundary Waters Treaty") →	hasShortName
International Joint Commission →	legalBasis
Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations ("Canada–United States Niagara River water diversion treaties") →	subjectOf