What We Do
Image: Spring Drawdown in Kinbasket Reservoir, near Valemont
2014 to 2017
Spring drawdown in Duncan Reservoir
During this period, after the CRT Review was completed and before negotiations were initiated, the Committee developed relationships with the federal agencies and elected officials responsible for Treaty negotiations. We also gained a deeper understanding of Treaty issues through a number of activities and began to advocate for solutions to domestic issues. The Committee Chair continued to make presentations in the U.S. Pacific Northwest to educate U.S. citizens about the impacts of the CRT in B.C.
Columbia Basin Regional Advisory Committee
One of the Committee’s domestic recommendations is for ‘meaningful ongoing engagement of Basin residents.’ In 2014 the Committee worked with the Province and BC Hydro to implement a new Columbia Basin Regional Advisory Committee (CBRAC). This Committee is a diverse, Basin-wide group, representing a broad range of perspectives, interests and geography, which is helping inform the hydroelectric operations in the Columbia Basin and potential future improvements to the Columbia River Treaty. The Committee Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Director are members of the CBRAC Steering Committee which guides the activities of the provincial CBRAC Secretariat.
Learn more about CBRAC at the BC CRT engage website.
Background research
The Committee undertook a number of activities to more fully understand the Treaty related and domestic issues during this period:
Organized a workshop on Kootenay system operations and issues. View presentations at: https://thebasin.ourtrust.org/columbia-river-treaty/resources/ (click videos and scroll to Info Session Files
Researched Basin residents’ concerns with the Columbia Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP).
Meetings with regional Indigenous Nations, the BC Water Comptroller and U.S. local governments.