| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
In 1964, Canada and the United States (U.S.) ratified the Columbia River Treaty (Treaty). The impetus for the Treaty was the disastrous flood of 1948 which devastated the City of Vanport and cost many lives, along with growing power demand in the Pacific Northwest. In exchange for an equal share of the U.S. downstream power and flood control benefits, Canada agreed to build three dams in British Columbia and allowed one U.S. dam to flood into Canada. The Canadian facilities vastly reduced flood risk in the U.S. while enabling the production of significantly more electricity at U.S. hydropower facilities. The U.S. prepaid Canada $64 million to rent 8.45 million acre feet of storage space in the new Canadian reservoirs for 60 years to support assured flood control which resulted in reduced flood damage and increased safety for U.S. citizens. At the same time 110,000 hectares (270,000 acres) of Canadian ecosystems were inundated; residents, First Nations, communities and infrastructure were displaced; farms and forestry activities were impacted. The U.S. also committed in the Treaty to paying Canada half of the incremental power potential that could be produced because of the new flow regimes that the Treaty dams made possible. The Treaty has no end date but either country can unilaterally terminate the Treaty from September 2024 onwards provided that at least 10 years notice is given. This ability to terminate the Treaty, and changing flood control provisions whether the Treaty is terminated or not, have prompted both countries to undertake a review of the Treaty to determine its future. The Treaty has worked well in optimizing flood control and power objectives. However, as society’s values change, so have the benefits of the Treaty. The coordinated management of river flows and storage reservoirs has since produced a wide range of additional benefits to interests such as ecosystems, navigation, water supply and recreation. Yet, the existing and future benefits under the Treaty, and the risks and losses that could occur if the Treaty is terminated are not well understood. Treaty Benefits in the U.S.: Flood Control: Half of the available flood storage in the Columbia basin is located in British Columbia. Since the Treaty storage became operational, there has never been a flood causing major damage along the Columbia River, avoiding $2 billion in potential damage in one year alone.1 In 2024, regardless of whether the Treaty continues or is terminated, planned assured flood control operations change to a more ad hoc “called upon” flood control. This means that all U.S. reservoirs that are able to reduce damaging flood flows at The Dalles will need to be drafted deeper than is current practice before Canada can be “called upon” to provide additional assistance. At this time, the Canadian and U.S. Entities disagree on how called upon flood control would be implemented. Regardless of this disagreement, modelling has shown that this will increase the flood risk on the system while altering current reservoir operations and increase the risk of reservoirs not being able to refill, with likely negative consequences for a number of interests, such as fisheries, ecosystems, power production and water supply. British Columbia is open to discussing alternative flood risk management arrangements that would make better use of existing facilities, increasing certainty of operations and avoiding negative impacts to U.S. interests. Hydro power: The Treaty has significantly enhanced hydropower production in the U.S. and continues to provide predictable and reliable flows that translate into firm energy so that utilities can meet their customer load. During the Treaty review, Bonneville Power Administration’s analyses have focused on average energy benefits based on assumed Canadian operations, and presented the information in a way that could lead people to believe that the power benefit of continuing the Treaty is only 10% of the Canadian Entitlement. British Columbia believes that the value is much higher than the current return of the Canadian Entitlement when power benefits along with other values and interests that benefit from coordinated operations are factored in. Coordination under the Treaty allows the hydro system to respond to seasonal challenges during cold winter conditions when inflows are reduced, as well as dry hot summers when irrigation, fisheries and recreation are competing for the same low flows. In both instances, Canada releases flows first to maximize U.S. power production. Without the Treaty, BC Hydro would operate solely for British Columbia domestic energy and other needs in a manner quite different than today, with system coordination greatly diminished. This would create significant uncertainty for the U.S. that would affect system planning and reliability across the U.S. portion of the Columbia River Basin. Ecosystems: Flexibility within the Treaty has allowed changes in coordinated operations to benefit ecosystem values. Supplementary agreements have contributed to enhancing ecosystem values, particularly U.S. salmon recovery, by augmenting flows in the spring to better imitate the natural hydrograph, and augmenting flows during late summer and during dry years which are particularly critical to fish survival. As climate change predictions foresee hotter and drier conditions for the lower Columbia Basin, this coordination will become only more valuable. Without the Treaty, these beneficial ecosystem operations would cease to exist and water in the Canadian portion of the basin would be managed solely for Canadian environmental and other interests. Past and ongoing litigation has prompted U.S. agencies, Tribes and other stakeholders to invest to heavily in ecosystem recovery over the last decades. Decisions on the future of the Treaty should ensure that these investments are not lost. Water supply: Additional Canadian flows for power production and ecosystems during low water conditions also benefit to some degree consumptive use as U.S. water managers re-regulate flows using Grand Coulee Dam for a host of interests competing for a limited resource. The changing flood control regime in 2024, requires greater emptying of U.S. reservoirs and risks upsetting the sensitive water allocation balance that is becoming increasingly strained. Climate change predictions will likely exacerbate the current tension between water users. Navigation: Commercial navigation on the Columbia River is a key contributor to the economic sustainability of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Changes to Treaty flood control provisions will likely result in more frequent higher flows that could worsen navigation conditions by increasing shipping times and affecting docking operations. High flows may also increase sedimentation thereby reducing channel depth and increasing dredging costs. During low flow conditions and without Treaty flow augmentation from Canada, navigation interests will also likely be impacted by reduced channel draft, disrupting navigation and raising the risk of grounding. Treaty Benefits in Canada: The only benefit to Canada from the Treaty is the sharing of downstream benefits from additional power production potential made possible by the coordination of flows. Half of the potential additional power that could be realised due only to Treaty operations, which is called the Canadian Entitlement, is returned to Canada in electricity at the border. The U.S. has chosen to use these Treaty power flows for other, equally important, purposes besides power production. This should not be used as a reason to reduce equitable benefits to Canada. As dictated by the Treaty, the amount of Canadian Entitlement is forecast to decrease over time while British Columbia continues to be impacted, through reservoir operations and ongoing costs to maintain the Treaty dams, and our flexibility to manage for the needs of BC basin residents is constrained in order to meet Treaty requirements for U.S. interests. This has caused some residents to question whether the fundamental Treaty principle of creating and sharing benefits equitably is still valid. Simply put, without the Canadian Entitlement, British Columbia would see no reason for the Treaty to continue. The Future of the Treaty: The Columbia River Treaty between Canada and the United States is known throughout the world as one of the most successful examples of a transboundary water treaty. Other countries see the agreement as setting a benchmark on cooperation and benefit sharing. The Treaty is founded on the principle, set out in the Treaty’s preamble, that the greatest benefits to each country can be secured through cooperative measures. The alternatives to cooperation in each country require careful examination. As climate change will increasingly alter the environment of the Columbia basin in the broadest sense, reservoir management and coordination are seen as important tools in adapting to climate change challenges that threaten salmon recovery, water supply and energy reliability. This would suggest a need for more collaboration, not less. As both Canada and the U.S. continue to review options regarding the future of the Treaty, it is important that citizens on both sides of the border understand how the Treaty is beneficial, who benefits, how further cooperation can enhance or create new benefits, and what is at risk of being lost if the Treaty is terminated. |
