[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 203 (Monday, October 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58979-58980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23146]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 11569]


Public Hearing on ISRSB's Report on Managing Water Supply and 
Flood Control in the Souris River Basin

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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    The International Joint Commission (IJC) is inviting public comment 
on recommendations made by the International Souris River Study Board 
(ISRSB) in a report that reviews the 1989 International Agreement 
between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United 
States of America for Water Supply and Flood Control in the Souris 
River Basin (the 1989 Agreement). Comments will be accepted at a public 
hearing to be held virtually on November 3, 2021, and by mail, email 
(ijc.org">commission@ijc.org) and online at ijc.org/en/srsb-flood-drought until 
November 15, 2021. The ISRSB's full report can be found on the Study 
Board's website at ijc.org/en/srsb.

Public Hearing on ISRSB's Report on Managing Water Supply and Flood 
Control in the Souris River Basin

    Date: November 3, 2021.
    Time: 12-1:30 p.m. CDT (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MDT, 1:00-2:30 p.m. 
EDT).
    Location: Virtual, register online at ijc.org/en/srsb-flood-
drought.
    The International Souris River Study Board was established by the 
IJC in 2017 to assist in responding to a reference by the governments 
of Canada and the United States under Article IX of the Boundary Waters 
Treaty of 1909. The reference was precipitated by an unprecedented 2011 
flood in the Souris River basin. The basin is part of the Prairie 
Pothole Region and stretches across Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada 
and extends into North Dakota in the United States.
    The governments asked the IJC to coordinate the full completion of 
the 2013 IJC Plan of Study. As part of this, the IJC was asked to 
evaluate and make recommendations regarding the Operating Plan 
contained in Annex A to the 1989 Agreement. Among other items, the 
agreement coordinates the operation of certain dams and reservoirs in 
the basin.
    IJC recommendations to the two federal governments under Article IX 
of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 are not binding and not to be 
considered decisions of the two federal governments.
    The Study Board findings and recommendations cover five themes:

 Reviewing the performance of the operating plan in the 1989 
Agreement
 Strengthening water supply and flood control benefits
 Improving data collection and management
 Addressing other water management challenges in the basin
 Building on the study's engagement and outreach, including 
initiating a new approach to engaging with Indigenous peoples in both 
countries

    The public hearing and comment period concern potential 
recommendations the IJC may make to the Governments of Canada and the 
United States. The Study Board findings include that the 1989 Agreement 
is functioning well and is effective at achieving its intended 
objectives of flood protection and water supply benefits, and they 
identify marginal or incremental benefits in five alternative measures 
recommended for further investigation. The recommendations being 
considered include the following:
    1. Modify the Winter Drawdown Elevation Targets to build greater 
flexibility into reservoir operations by varying reservoir elevation 
targets according to antecedent moisture conditions in the basin;
    2. Extend the Winter Drawdown Date from February 1 to March 1 to 
provide additional river flow for improved environmental benefits 
during February;
    3. Lower the Spring Maximum Flow Limits to reduce flood peaks and 
agricultural flood risk during small to moderate floods in riverine 
reaches in North Dakota (i.e., floods under 57-85 m\3\/s or 2 000 to 3 
000 ft\3\/s;
    4. Establish a Summer Operating Plan to provide more guidance to 
reservoir operators to better manage summer reservoir operations under 
all conditions;
    5. Shift the Apportionment rule calculations to a Water Year 
(November to October) from the current Calendar

[[Page 58980]]

Year (January to December) to ensure flood protection releases in 
November and December are credited toward apportionment.
    The full Study Board report and recommendations can be found by 
visiting ijc.org/en/srsb.
    Commissioners will be present to hear comments on the Study Board's 
report recommendations at the above referenced virtual public hearing 
on November 3, 2021. A public comment period on the ISRSB's report will 
also be open through November 15, 2021. Public input is essential to 
the Commission's consideration of a recommendation to the governments 
of the United States and Canada.
    The International Joint Commission was established under the 
Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada 
prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters the two 
countries share. The Commission's responsibilities include 
investigating and reporting on issues of concern when asked by the 
governments of the two countries. For more information, visit the IJC 
website at ijc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Chiasson (Ottawa) (613) 293-
1031 at ijc.org">christina.chiasson@ijc.org or Jeff Kart (Washington, DC) (989) 
372-1229 at ijc.org">jeff.kart@ijc.org

Susan E. Daniel,
Acting Secretary, U.S. Section, International Joint Commission, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2021-23146 Filed 10-22-21; 8:45 am]
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