The agreement in principle to modernize the Columbia River Treaty has been hailed as a major milestone after years of negotiations between Canada and the United States.
“Sixty years later, this treaty needs to be updated to reflect a changing climate and the evolving needs of communities that depend on this vital waterway,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in announcing the development.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a separate statement that extensive engagement with Indigenous peoples and local communities had ensured all interests were considered.
“For more than 50 years, the Columbia River Treaty has played a vital role in reducing flood damage and providing clean energy to millions of homes, businesses and industries in both our countries,” Prime Minister Trudeau said.
The Columbia River flows approximately 2,000 kilometers from the Canadian Rocky Mountains through southeastern British Columbia, across the border into Washington, and into the Pacific Ocean at the Washington-Oregon border.
The basin produces significant hydroelectric power from 60 dams on the main stem and tributaries, providing nearly half of British Columbia’s total hydroelectric power and over 40 percent of the United States’ total.
The flow of the river’s water and the distribution of the electricity and money generated from it are regulated by a treaty that came into force in 1964.
In 2022, B.C. received roughly $420 million in Canadian rights from generating electricity at U.S. dams based on water flows from Canada.
The revised treaty will reduce flood risk and advance clean energy goals, as well as cover concerns not addressed in the original document, such as ecosystems and indigenous values, according to the prime minister’s statement.
The Kutonaxa, Secwepemc and Sylkus Okanagan tribes were part of Canada’s negotiating team, along with the provincial and federal governments.
“This milestone is a testament to our nation’s years of hard work and dedication,” Kutonaxa Tribal Chair Katherine Tenneys said in a statement.
“We have worked hard to ensure that concerns about the environment, Kutonaxa cultural values, river flows and salmon recovery are reflected in treaty negotiations, and we intend to continue that work as the new treaty is drafted.”
According to Chief Tukemulpus Te Secwepemc of the Nation, the construction of the Columbia River Treaty dams is the largest violation of Native American title and rights in the region.
“It’s really important to acknowledge part of our history,” said Rosanne Casimir of Kukupi 7. “The transformation of the Upper Columbia River Basin into a giant reservoir system has devastated countless plant and animal species, as well as destroyed ancestral burial sites and cultural sites.”
Nathan Mathews, a Secwepemc Tribal representative on the treaty negotiating team, said the agreement in principle is a roadmap for the future.
“Today is a very important day,” he said. “When the treaty was first negotiated, the negotiations did not include any Indigenous peoples, they did not include any stakeholders.”
Biden said he would elevate the voices of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Canada and that treaty reform would allow the U.S. to retain more of its own energy production.
The Columbia River Treaty was signed after a devastating flood on the Columbia River in 1948 that destroyed the city of Vanport, near Portland, Oregon, killing 50 people and leaving 46,000 homeless.
The treaty led to the construction of three dams in British Columbia and a fourth in Montana.
