Tuesday November 26, 2024
US State Department —
Even as we continue to work with Canada to finalize text of treaty amendments to modernize the Columbia River Treaty regime, the United States and Canada implemented an initial set of interim measures to continue our stewardship of the Columbia River.
As President Biden announced in July, the United States and Canada reached agreement in principle on the key elements of a modernized Columbia River Treaty regime. Given the treaty amendments will take time to draft and enter into force in both countries, the United States and Canada agreed to implement interim measures covering relevant aspects of Columbia River coordination until such time as a modernized treaty regime enters into force.
The initial set of interim measures involve coordination to reduce the risk of flooding, share electrical power benefits, and transfer transmission rights, as follows:
- Beginning on August 1, the Canadian Entitlement decreased by 37%.
- Effective November 1, Canada’s Powerex assumed and will pay for 1,120 megawatts of transmission rights previously held by the United States’ Bonneville Power Administration to deliver the Canadian Entitlement.
- From now through 2027, Canada will provide 3.6-million-acre feet of water storage at Arrow Lakes reservoir for flood risk management for the United States, upon election and compensation by the United States.
- In addition to the above finalized measures, the United States and Canada continue working on a plan to store water in Canada to aid in salmon migration in 2025.