IJC Announces Public Comment Period for Elk-Kootenai/y Water Pollution Study

WASHINGTON and OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Joint Commission (IJC) has  launched a public comment period related to the study of transboundary water pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y watershed. This comment period will run from August 6-27 to provide interested parties with a convenient opportunity to share their perspectives on the IJC study. Comments may be emailed to [email protected] or submitted  through our website. 

The IJC is also hosting a one-hour public webinar on this study later today, Tuesday, August 6, at 6:30 pm MDT (5:30 pm PDT). All interested parties are invited to attend. 

The webinar will include a presentation and question-and-answer period that will focus on the IJC's activities to date related to the establishment of an IJC study board to report and make recommendations on water pollution within the Elk-Kootenai/y watershed, as well as the Commission's role to provide assistance in the development of a Terms of Reference for a Governance Body. 

The study board is being established in response to a request ("Reference") to the IJC from the governments of the United States and Canada that incorporates a proposal developed in partnership with the Ktunaxa Nation.

Please register to participate in the webinar and submit any questions or comments during the registration process or by email at [email protected]. Questions submitted in advance will be addressed during the information session.   This webinar will be held in English only. 

Share your thoughts on the Elk-Kootenai/y Water Pollution Study: Public Comment Period August 6-27, 2024

Participate in the Tuesday, August 6 webinar:  Webinar Registration - Zoom

Quick Facts  

• The Elk River rises in the Canadian Rockies and flows into the United States at Lake Koocanusa (also known as Koocanusa Reservoir), an impoundment of the Kootenay/Kootenai River. It then flows through the states of Montana and Idaho, and through transboundary Ktunaxa lands, on its way back to the province of British Columbia, where it empties into the Columbia River. 
  
  
• The IJC received the Reference regarding transboundary water pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y watershed from the governments in March 2024.   

SOURCE International Joint Commission