Elk-Kootenai Watershed Board seeks comment on draft plan
Near the U.S Canadian border, the Koocanusca reservoir, which the Elk river flows into, as seen in March, 2023.
The International Elk-Kootenai Watershed Study Board is seeking public comment on its draft Plan of Study until Feb. 17.
The finalized plan will outline the work proposed by the Study Board over the next 19 months.
The draft can be found at https://ijc.org/en/ekwsb/iekwsb-draft-plan-study.
The independent body comprised of experts and knowledge holders from Canada, the United States and the Ktunaxa Nation was established by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to explore the impacts of transboundary water pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for the public to help guide the work on this study,” says U.S. Study Board Co-chair, Tom Bansak. “We are grateful for the chance to work together, engage all interested parties and involve knowledgeable experts with the unified goal of understanding the impacts of pollution in the watershed.”
The Elk River rises in the Canadian Rockies of the province of British Columbia and flows into Koocanusa Reservoir, an impoundment of the Kootenai River that spans the Canadian-US border.
Below the reservoir, the Kootenay/Kootenai River flows through the states of Montana and Idaho, and through transboundary Ktunaxa lands, on its way back to the province of British Columbia, where it empties into the Columbia River.
The study was launched in September 2024 and will conclude in September 2026.
The request to the IJC for the establishment of the Study Board is the result of many conversations and cooperative initiatives involving United States and Canadian federal agencies, provincial, state and Indigenous governments, and stakeholders regarding the impacts of pollution in the watershed.
The March 2024 request to the IJC from the governments of Canada and the United States, in partnership with the Ktunaxa Nation, represented an historic moment in the history of United States-Canada transboundary relations, because it is the first time that Indigenous Peoples have played a key role in the development of a reference to the IJC.
The Study Board has been directed by the IJC to convene experts and knowledge holders to conduct transparent and coordinated transboundary data and knowledge sharing in order to develop a common understanding of pollution with the Elk-Kootenai watershed and the impacts of that pollution on people and species.
“At the end of this two-year process, the Study Board, with input from the public, will be delivering findings and recommendations to the International Joint Commission” adds Canadian Study Board Co-chair Oliver Brandes. “It is critical for the Study Board to listen to the public in the basin as we carry out our work.”
The Study Board is inviting public comment before delivering the final Plan of Study to the IJC in late February. Visit https://ijc.org/en/ekwsb for more information on how to participate.
The Study Board will hold a virtual public meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to provide an overview of the Plan of Study and an opportunity for participants to ask questions and provide input.
Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ae8b78f3-9a3b-4071-85c9-2ab292905bcc@ac2eafbc-d7ac-4576-973d-356d672122bb.
The Study Board will review comments received by 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17.