A video providing an overview of the Columbia River Treaty agreement-in-principle (AIP) has been released, and an online information session has been scheduled for September 17.
In the video, representatives from the Canadian negotiating team explain the key elements in the AIP: flood risk management, Canadian flexibility, hydropower and transmission, ecosystem health and Indigenous values, and compensation.
Flood risk management
The AIP presents significant changes in the amount of flood risk management services Canada will provide to the US, said Kathy Eichenberger, lead negotiator for the Province of B.C. and executive director of the CRT team.
Under the current treaty, Canada provides the US with 8.95 million acre-feet of pre-planned, assured flood risk management storage in its CRT reservoirs – Duncan, Arrow Lakes, and Kinbasket. Under the AIP, Canada would provide 3.6 million acre-feet of storage, a 60 per cent reduction. The 3.6 million acre-feet would be stored in the Arrow Lakes reservoir, which is the most effective reservoir for mitigating US flood risk, said Eichenberger. Canada and the US are working to make arrangements under the existing treaty to implement the change for the upcoming spring 2025 flood season.
The US will also pay B.C. for this flood risk management service, to the tune of $37.6 million USD, indexed to inflation, through to 2044.
“The reduction of overall flood storage space lessens restrictions on how treaty reservoirs may be operated [in Canada],” said Eichenberger. “As a consequence, the US will need to operate their reservoirs more conservatively than they do today.”
However, the US can still call on Canada for more storage space in the event of extreme flooding – for a fee. This ‘called upon’ management exists in the current CRT, but has never been used.
Details of when calls can be made and the corresponding payment are still being discussed, said Eichenberger.
Canadian flexibility
The Canadian team was able to negotiate greater flexibility in how BC operates its treaty dams. This flexibility gives B.C. more control over reservoir levels and river flows, addressing the treaty’s impact on ecosystems and communities.
“The [current] treaty requires Canada and the US to annually coordinate 15.5 million acre-feet of reservoir storage space behind Canadian treaty dams to optimize hydropower generation, primarily in the US but also in Canada,” said Eichenberger.
The AIP outlines that, under a modernized treaty, Canada can unilaterally decide to reduce this coordinated storage to a minimum of 11.5 million acre-feet each year for the first 15 years, she said. In the following five years, Canada can further reduce storage to 10.5 million acre-feet.
“That means that BC will have up to four- to five-million acre-feet to manage every year to support Basin interests without needing agreement from the US,” said Eichenberger.
This flexibility will be used to address the treaty’s effect on ecosystems, Indigenous cultural values, and the socio-economic interests of the Basin.
“How we will intend to use this flexibility will be grounded in the significant research and river management scenario modelling that’s currently underway,” she said.
Ongoing work to determine operational scenarios that would support Basin priorities begun several years ago. This work is being led by the Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, and Syilx Okanagan Nations, in collaboration with provincial governments, the Columbia River Treaty Local Governments Committee, and environmental non-governmental organization scientists and technical consultants.
Hydropower and transmission
The AIP will see a reduction in the Canadian Entitlement (CE) – Canada’s share of the potential power benefits produced in the US as a result of how BC operates its treaty dams. The US sends this power to Canada in the form of electricity, which is sold at market value by BC Hydro. A portion is also shared with Canadian Indigenous nations.
In year one of the AIP, CE energy will decrease by 33%. By year 20, it will drop to 50%, but Eichenberger said BC has sufficient capacity to maximize the value of that energy when selling it on the market. Since the beginning, the CE was always projected to decline over the life of the treaty and Canada has planned for this reduction, she said.
For every million acre-feet that BC uses for domestic flexibility, the CE will further be reduced by 6.5% since there are no corresponding power benefits to the US.
The AIP also provides two other opportunities to expand BC’s ability to export and import electricity to and from the US.
Powerex – BC Hydro’s energy marketing and trading arm – and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will enter into an agreement that will allow Powerex to pay for the use of 1,120 megawatts of BPA’s existing transmission capacity. This transmission capacity is currently held by BPA, the US federal government equivalent of BC Hydro in the Pacific Northwest, for delivering the CE.
“This will give BC the ability to import clean electricity from the US when it is economical to do so, so that BC Hydro can conserve water in its reservoirs for power generation during high demand periods, such as cold winters,” said Eichenberger.
As well, BPA will conduct a study looking into expanding transmission between BC and the US near Nelway, east of Trail, down to Spokane, Washington. Depending on results, BPA may expand transmission facilities to allow for increased clean energy trade between Canada and the US.
Ecosystem health and Indigenous values
“The AIP… has new ecological provisions that can be seen as the third leg of the stool of the treaty, in addition to flood risk management and hydropower,” said Nathan Matthew, Secwépemc nation representative on the Canadian negotiation delegation.
The AIP guarantees that Canada can provide at least one million acre-feet of water, plus an additional 0.5 million acre-feet in dry years, to support salmon migration and survival.
What makes the ecological and cultural plans in the AIP unique, said Matthew, is that they are Indigenous-led, relying on the guidance of elders and knowledge keepers.
“For the first time in the Columbia, there will be coordination on salmon reintroduction studies and strategies from Indigenous nations and tribes on each side of the border,” said Jay Johnson, Syilx Okanagan Nation lead on the Canadian negotiation delegation.
The AIP also establishes the Indigenous and Tribal Advisory Body. Led by Indigenous nations and US tribes, the advisory body will undertake research and make recommendations on how treaty and other hydro system operations can better support ecosystem needs, and Indigenous and tribal values.
The AIP also introduces the Kootenay/Kootenai working group, a multiparty transboundary group that will inform the US Army Corps of Engineers, owner and operator of Libby Dam.
“The Ktunaxa people have in particular suffered from the flooding caused by the Libby Dam under the CRT and this new body is a step forward in giving us a voice in how the dam is managed,” said Hunter.
The working group will also address other common interests in the Kootenay/Kootenai river system, such as ecosystem and aquatic objectives, recreation, and flood risk management on both sides of the border.
Compensation
In addition to the Canadian Entitlement and pre-planned flood risk management payments, the US will also compensate an additional $16.6 million USD per year, indexed to inflation, once the modernized treaty is in place.
Eichenberger explained that the US now recognizes the additional benefits it receives from Canadian treaty reservoir operations, such as irrigation, recreation, navigation, and fisheries.
Under the current treaty, the US does not provide any compensation to Canada for these benefits.
Next steps
There is no set date for when a modernized treaty will come into effect, said Stephen Gluck, Canada’s lead negotiator, but both countries are committed to getting it in place as soon as possible.
Drafting the amended treaty text will take time, with many processes that need to take place on both sides of the border.
BC’s priority is engaging with the Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, and Syilx Okanagan Nations, local governments, and Basin residents to get feedback on the AIP, which will inform drafting of the renewed treaty.
Though the AIP is a big step forward, it doesn’t mean river and reservoir management will change right away. Until a modernized treaty is ratified, the current treaty remains in effect.
Get involved
The video, more information and answers to frequently asked questions, and a sign-up for the virtual public information session on September 17 from 6 to 7:30 pm are available at engage.gov.bc.ca/columbiarivertreaty/agreement-in-principle.
A series of in-person community engagement meetings will be scheduled soon in the Canadian portion of the Basin.
Questions, comments, and feedback are welcome anytime by emailing columbiarivertreaty@gov.bc.ca
