Columbia River Treaty

E76366

The Columbia River Treaty is a landmark 1964 agreement between the United States and Canada that coordinates hydropower generation and flood control in the Columbia River Basin.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf bilateral international treaty
hydropower coordination treaty
water resources management agreement
appliesTo Arrow Lakes reservoir
Columbia River
Duncan Dam reservoir
Kootenay River
Mica Dam reservoir
appliesToJurisdiction Columbia River Basin
basinCountry Canada
United States
country Canada
United States
dateSigned 1961
effectiveDate 1964
follows 1959 Columbia River negotiations
governs storage and release of water from Canadian Columbia River dams
hasComponent Canadian Entitlement to downstream power benefits
flood control operating plans
hydropower operating plans
hasEffect increased hydropower generation efficiency
reduced flood risk in the lower Columbia River
implementedBy BC Hydro
Bonneville Power Administration
Canadian federal agencies
United States Army Corps of Engineers
language English
legalStatus in force
location Columbia River Basin
mainSubject flood control
hydropower generation
transboundary river management
water storage coordination
notableFor being a landmark transboundary water management agreement
formalizing flood control responsibilities between the United States and Canada
long-term coordination of U.S.-Canada hydropower operations
providesFor assured flood control storage for the United States
construction of storage dams in Canada
payment to Canada for downstream power benefits
purpose coordinate hydropower operations on the Columbia River
optimize storage and release of water in upstream reservoirs
provide assured flood control benefits
region British Columbia
Pacific Northwest
regulates cross-border flows of the Columbia River
operation of major dams in the Columbia River Basin
reviewStatus subject to modernization and renegotiation discussions in the 21st century
signatory Canada
United States

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Columbia River
Kootenay River ("Columbia River Treaty (Canada–US)")
governedBy
Columbia River Treaty ("Canadian Entitlement to downstream power benefits")
hasComponent
Columbia River hydropower system
regulatedBy

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