The Columbia River Treaty

John Shurts General Counsel Northwest Power and Conservation Council Portland, Oregon

CREW May 2014 Northwest Power and slide 1 Conservation Council Columbia River Treaty (1961/64)

 15 maf of storage in Canada (Mica, Duncan, Keenleyside/Arrow)

 Downstream flood control and power generation benefits

 Sharing of downstream benefits – incl. Canadian Entitlement to ½ of downstream Northwest Power and Conservation power benefits Council

Columbia River Treaty (cont’d)

 US authorized to build Libby Dam on Kootenai River – no sharing of benefits – operations coordinated

 Entities designated to implement Treaty are BC Hydro in BC; Bonneville Admin and Corps Div Commander

Northwest in US Power and Conservation Council

Canadian Outflows for Power and Flood Control on Planning Basis

Arrow+Duncan Treaty Outflows (60-yr Avg.) 140000

120000 Unregulated

100000 04AOP Regulated

80000

60000

40000

20000

Arrow+Duncan Outflow in cfs in Outflow Arrow+Duncan 0

SEP FEB

JAN

DEC

OCT NOV MAR MAY JULY

NorthwestJUNE

15-Apr 30-Apr 31-Aug 15-Aug Power and slide 5 Conservation Council Columbia River: average regulated flows

average flows at The Dalles -- natural and regulated

500000

400000 Natural Regulated 300000

200000 Cubic Feet per SecondFeetper Cubic 100000

Northwest Power and slide 6 Conservation Council Bonneville Dam 1948

Northwest Power and 1996 Conservation Council Kinbasket Lake (Mica Dam)

slide 9 AVERAGE ANNUAL RUNOFF AND USABLE RESERVOIR STORAGE

MAJOR WESTERN RIVER BASINS

250 240 230 220 210

200

190 180 170 160 Average Annual Runoff 150 Usable Reservoir Storage 140 130 120 110 100 90 MILLIONS OF ACRE FEETACRE MILLIONS OF 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Columbia Colorado Missouri Northwest RIVER BASINS Power and Conservation Council Northwest Power and Conservation Council U . S . A r m y C o r p s of E n g i n e e r s – B o n n e v i l l e P o w e r Administration

2014/2024 Review Columbia River Treaty

Sovereign Review Team/Technical Review: United States agencies: (Bonneville, USACE, NMFS, USFWS, BOR, BLM, EPA, USFS, USGS, BIA, NPS) States: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana Northwest Indian Tribes: 5 representatives of 15 tribes (CRITFC, UCUT, USRT, Cowlitz, CSKT)

Northwest Stakeholders and Public Engagement regional listening sessions; listening sessions directly between SRT/STT and regional stakeholders and technical experts; public open houses Northwest Power and Conservation Council Swaq̓mu

Salmon at Brisco, BC, 1910s Courtesy Ede Family Collection

River Flow at The Dalles Dam (Averaged over all Water Conditions)

500 450 Natural 400 Regulated Pre-1980 350 Regulated Today 300 250

200 Flow (Kcfs) 150 100 50

Jul

Oct

Apr

Jan Mar

Feb Jun

Sep Dec

Nov May Aug Average Regulated Outflows at The Dalles Dam

Current Treaty 450 FC No Treaty 450 FC Treaty 600 FC 17 Average Regulated Outflows at The Dalles Dam

Norm Norm Current Summer Dry Year flows Elev. 18 Kootenai River – “meander reach” downstream of Bonners Ferry, Idaho

slide 19

I’d like to see them come back. Kootenai Chief Martin Morigeau 1964