Case Description

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Geolocation:	49° 0' 32.5829", -104° 16' 56.0156"
Total Population	at least 4545,000,000 millionmillion

Climate Descriptors	alpine
Predominent Land Use Descriptors	agricultural- cropland and pasture, conservation lands, industrial use, forest land, rangeland, urban, religious/cultural sites
Important Uses of Water	Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply, Fisheries - wild, Hydropower Generation, Industry - consumptive use, Other Ecological Services, Recreation or Tourism

Summary

The United States and Canada share a 5,000 mile border, crossed by over 150 rivers and lakes (Hall, 2007). The flow of transboundary rivers is surprisingly even, with about half flowing into each country Lemarquand, 1986), which creates what would presumably be an ideal environment for excellent transboundary relations. U.S.-Canada Transboundary waters have been managed largely successfully since the signing of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 (BWT). One especially important part of the success of the BWT was the creation of an independent fact-finding organization called the International Joint Commission (IJC). Recent growth in population, economic activity, environmental impacts and land development along both sides of the border have led to rising tensions over shared water resources. Though after more than 100 years the BWT has successfully prevented and resolved many disagreements, unresolved disputes and contentious issues have occurred, and may grow more frequent as economic pressures rise along the border. The Columbia River Agreement and Devil’s Lake Outlet are two particularly clear cases which continue to put strain on the transboundary water relations of the two countries.

Natural, Historic, Economic, Regional, and Political Framework

Background

The U.S. and Canada share many water resources which cross their shared border, including four out of five great lakes and the St. Lawrence River, making up the world’s largest surface freshwater system and providing 95% of the fresh surface water available in the United States (Great Lakes Commission, 2003). Management of these resources became necessary in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when conflicts began to arise over navigation and use of the water in the great lakes. In 1909, the Boundary Waters Treaty (BWT), a comprehensive treaty governing the management of shared water resources by both countries, was signed. A key part of the BWT was the establishment of the International Joint Commission (IJC), which was created to be a neutral source of information, investigation, and advice for both countries in managing their shared water resources fairly. Interestingly, most attempts at resolution of conflicts in the Great Lakes region have been successful, while those in the prairie region (North Dakota, Montana) have led to unresolved conflicts (Heinmiller, 2008).

Analysis, Synthesis, and Insight

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