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Rough Drafts of Columbia River Treaty Edits

Provincial Impacts

The objective of the International Joint Commission (IJC), with regard to the development of the Columbia River Basin, was to accomplish with the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) what would not have been possible through either British Columbia or the U.S. operating individually. It was expected that either additional costs would have been avoided or additional benefits gained by the cooperation between BC/Canada and the US. However, many felt that such expectations were left unrealized by the effects of the actual treaty. Soon after the treaty came into effect, it became apparent that greater combined returns had not necessarily been achieved than had each country continued operating independently.

Over the lifespan of the treaty, both positive and negative impacts have been felt by the province of British Columbia (BC). For BC, the positive impacts of the treaty have included both direct and indirect economic and social benefits. Direct benefits came in the form of better flood protection, increased power generation at both new and existing facilities, assured winter flows (for power) and the Canadian Entitlement power currently owed to BC by the U.S. (valued at approximately $300 million annually). At the beginning of the treaty, the province received lump sum payments from the U.S. for the sale of the Canadian Entitlement for 30 years and for the provision of 60 years of assured flood protection to the Northwestern States. Indirect benefits to the province have included the creation of employment opportunities for several thousand people in the construction and operation of dams as well as lower power rates for customers in both BC and the Northwestern U.S. Furthermore, many later developments in BC were made possible by the CRT because of water regulation provided by upstream storage. The Kootenay Canal Plant (1975), Revelstoke Dam (1984), 185 MW Arrow Lakes Generating Station and the Brilliant Expansion Project are examples of these developments. Another project made possible in part by the CRT was the Pacific Intertie, which was constructed in the U.S. and to this day remains a key part of the western power grid, facilitating easy trading of power between all parts of western Canada and the western U.S.

However, for the province of BC, the impacts of the CRT were not entirely positive. By 1974, only ten years after the signing of the treaty, professors, politicians and experts across BC were divided on how beneficial it was to the province. Many said that the terms of the treaty would never have been accepted in their present day. The negative impacts of the CRT have affected both the economy and the environment of BC. Treaty revenue from U.S. was used to pay in part for the construction of the Duncan, Keenleyside and Mica dams, but the cost to BC to build the three dams exceeded the revenue initially received from the sale of downstream power and flood control benefits. The province also had to pay for improved highway, bridges, railway relocation, as well as welfare increases for the people affected by installation of the dams. Because of this deficit, it is alleged that school and hospital construction suffered, and services such as the Forest Service, highways and water resources were secretly tapped for funds.

It has become obvious in retrospect that the 30 year sale of the Canadian Entitlement and the 60 year agreement to provide assured flood control benefits were grossly undervalued at the time of the treaty signing. W.A.C. Bennett’s administration has often been criticized for being short-sighted in initial negotiations, but it was difficult to accurately value these agreements at the time. In 1960, Columbia River power produced half a million tons of aluminum for the U.S. By 1974, treaty power had increased this production threefold, hurting BC’s own aluminum production, effectively exporting thousands of jobs in this industry. Further negative impacts include the flooding of approximately 600 km2 of fertile and productive valley bottoms to fill the Arrow Lakes, Duncan, Kinbasket and Koocanusa reservoirs. No assessment of the value of flooded forest land was ever made; land which could have produced valuable timber for the BC economy. Additionally, it is estimated that the habitat of 8,000 deer, 600 elk, 1,500 moose, 2,000 black bears, 70,000 ducks and geese was flooded due to the creation of the reservoirs.