Columbia River Basin Governance in Transition Public Workshop on the Columbia River Treaty October 7, 2015

Governance in the Past Treaty a commercial agreement Flood control Hydropower Successful commercial agreement Limited consultation with affected parties Little engagement with First Nations No values for ecosystem services Limited geographically to the main stem of Columbia River

Governance in the Future Multi dimensional Issues Flood control Hydropower Fisheries Ecosystem health Water security First Nations have legally embedded constitutional rights Hydro climatic change Engaged and empowered public interests

Limitations Of Treaty in Future Governance Geographical and policy constraints to mainstem and reservoir regulation Major tributaries such as the Okanagan Similkameen outside the Treaty Fisheries now a central policy issue but outside the Treaty Ecosystem services a key concern of both entities Does not consider changing hydrology

Alternative Governance Models Modification of Columbia River Treaty Ecosystem values Changing climate and hydrology New flood control agreement Incremental Trans-boundary Agreements Start small– local watersheds Define ecosystem resiliency and function Statement of Principles for Framework Agreement Shared Benefits Shared decision making with First Nations Ecosystem function and health Information sharing; traditional knowledge Changing hydro- climate Sub Basin Agreements Arrow Lakes Okangan -Similkamen

Winning Conditions for Trans Boundary Agreements Rallying Cry for the Basin Original Columbia River Treaty– Power and flood control Great lakes – water quality Mackenzie Basin– Aquatic ecosystem and climate change Future Columbia Basin—Water Security Identified Champion/institutions for an Agreement US Tribes and First Nations in support Informed and Engaged Public Science and data supporting water security

Institutional Roles for Trans-boundary Governance? Columbia Basin Trust Northwest Power Conservation Council Power Utilities First Nations and US Tribes Leadership Canadian Government Agencies US Government Agencies. International Joint Commission Academic and non profit interests

Proposed Next Steps Communique from this Workshop Small task force to seek funding to initiate discussions Identification of range of interests for a broader Basin agreement Review best practices in trans boundary governance Undertake local scale projects to restore ecosystem values Coalesce science and modeling on hydro climate climatic change

Proposed Next Steps Set milestones for progress over the next two years Track progress in formal Columbia River Treaty negotiations Present progress report at CWRA conference on trans boundary issues in June 2017