Difference between revisions of "The Boundary Waters Treaty (BWT)"
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The boundary waters treaty was created to address the need for cooperative management of water resources across the U.S. Canada border, made obvious by water conflicts in the great lakes and prairie regions in the early 1900’s. These included disagreements over hydroelectric development in the St. Marys and Niagara rivers in the great lakes region and the St. Marys and Milk rivers in the prairie region. The International Waterways Commission was created in 1905 to facilitate cooperation in the great lakes region, and with its limited success suggested the need for larger and more comprehensive institutions facilitating cooperation between the two governments (Heinmiller, 2009). This led to the drafting of the Boundary Waters Treaty in 1909. | The boundary waters treaty was created to address the need for cooperative management of water resources across the U.S. Canada border, made obvious by water conflicts in the great lakes and prairie regions in the early 1900’s. These included disagreements over hydroelectric development in the St. Marys and Niagara rivers in the great lakes region and the St. Marys and Milk rivers in the prairie region. The International Waterways Commission was created in 1905 to facilitate cooperation in the great lakes region, and with its limited success suggested the need for larger and more comprehensive institutions facilitating cooperation between the two governments (Heinmiller, 2009). This led to the drafting of the Boundary Waters Treaty in 1909. | ||
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Revision as of 15:25, 13 May 2013
Signed: 1909/01/11
Agreement Type: non-binding, trans-national, sub-national, treaty
Water Resources - The Great Lakes, The St. Lawrence River, The St. Mary and Milk Rivers
The Boundary Waters treaty was signed in 1909 by the U.S. and Canada to create an institutional framework for the use and management of transboundary water resources and provide mechanisms for resolving disputes over these resources (Heinmiller, 2009). The treaty outlines equal and similar rights to transboundary waters to the U.S. and Canada, including the complete freedom of use so long as said use does not affect flows or water levels or cause pollution in the other country. The treaty also mandates the creation of the International Joint Commission as an institution for managing transboundary water issues and conflicts, and outlines the powers and responsibilities of the commission. The treaty also made specific apportionments with regard to disputes on the St. Marys, Milk, and Niagara rivers. It also established an order of precedence between uses of transboundary waters, which are as follows:
1) Use for domestic and sanitary purposes
2) Uses for navigation
3) Uses for hydropower and irrigation
History
The boundary waters treaty was created to address the need for cooperative management of water resources across the U.S. Canada border, made obvious by water conflicts in the great lakes and prairie regions in the early 1900’s. These included disagreements over hydroelectric development in the St. Marys and Niagara rivers in the great lakes region and the St. Marys and Milk rivers in the prairie region. The International Waterways Commission was created in 1905 to facilitate cooperation in the great lakes region, and with its limited success suggested the need for larger and more comprehensive institutions facilitating cooperation between the two governments (Heinmiller, 2009). This led to the drafting of the Boundary Waters Treaty in 1909.
Case Studies Related to this Agreement
Articles linked to this Agreement
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Agreement includes riparian- Canada, The United States of America
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Includes Water Resource- The Great Lakes, The St. Lawrence River, The St. Mary and Milk Rivers
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| Projects and Initiatives | Agreements and Treaties |
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External Links
