[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 38 (Friday, February 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 9554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4839]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2994]


International Joint Commission Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909

    On February 10, 1999, the United States and Canadian federal 
governments asked the International Joint Commission (IJC) to examine 
and report on the use, diversion and removal of waters along the common 
border. The governments noted that ``boundary water resources continue 
to be the subject of ever-increasing demands in the light of expanding 
populations'' and that ``proposals to use, divert and remove greater 
amounts of such waters can be expected.''
    The request from governments comes in the wake of proposals to 
export water overseas from Canada and litigation involving the export 
of water from Canada to the United States. Both governments are 
concerned that existing management principles and conservation measures 
may be inadequate to ensure future sustainable use of shared waters.
    The request from the governments asks the IJC to examine, report 
upon and provide recommendations on the following matters which may 
have effects on levels and flows of water within transboundary basins 
and shared aquifers:
    1. Existing and potential consumptive uses of water;
    2. Existing and potential diversions of water in and out of the 
transboundary basins, including withdrawals of water for export;
    3. The cumulative effects of existing and potential diversions and 
removals of water, including removals in bulk for export;
    4. The current laws and policies as may affect the sustainability 
of the water resources in boundary and transboundary basins.
    The governments have asked the IJC to build on its experience, 
notably its study of Great Lakes diversions and consumptive uses that 
concluded in 1985, and to submit interim recommendations for the 
protection of Great Lakes waters within six months. A final report 
making recommendations on the broader issue of U.S.-Canada shared 
waters is requested within six months of the interim recommendations.
    As it addresses these matters, the IJC will undertake broad 
consultations with all interested parties. As a first priority, the 
International Joint Commission will hold a series of eight public 
hearings in March at the locations below: Chicago, Cleveland, 
Rochester, NY, Toronto, Montreal, Windsor, Duluth and Sault Ste. Marie, 
ON.
    Dates will be announced in local media and on the IJC Web Site 
(www.ijc.org). The Commission also intends to hold workshops in the 
eastern and western border regions of the continent to obtain advice on 
the questions posed by governments, particularly as they might apply to 
the broader issue of Canada-U.S. shared waters outside the Great Lakes 
basin.
    In addition to the public hearings, the IJC invites all interested 
parties to submit written comment over the course of this investigation 
to the addresses below:

Secretary, Canadian Section, 100 Metcalfe Street, 18th Floor, Ottawa, 
Ontario K1P 5M1, Fax 613.993.5583, Email C[email protected].
Secretary, United States Section, 1250 23rd Street NW, Suite 100, 
Washington, DC 20440, Fax 202.736.9015, Email 
C[email protected].

    The International Joint Commission is a binational Canada-U.S. 
organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. It 
assists the governments in managing waters along the border for the 
benefit of both countries in a variety of ways including examining 
issues referred to it by the two federal governments.
    More information, including the full text of the letter of 
reference, may be found on the Commission's web site, at www.ijc.org.

    Dated: February 23, 1999.
Gerald E. Galloway,
Secretary, United States Section.
[FR Doc. 99-4839 Filed 2-25-99; 8:45 am]
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