The authors gratefully acknowledge the relevant contributions of many colleagues at BC Hydro, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Columbia River Treaty- an example of effective cross-border river regulation

With over 200 rivers around the world crossing international boundaries, internationally accepted treaties and agreements form the main framework for cross-border river development and operations. The Columbia River basin, in western North America, provides a significant example of effective cross-border river regulation. The river system is the fourth largest in North America but is called the “most powerful ” river system on the continent, with an installed hydroelectric generating capacity of about 35,000 MW. The river originates in Canada and flows about 2,000 km to the Pacific Ocean in the United States. The river is operated under a treaty signed by the two countries in 1961, 13 years after a severe flood on the river that caused much damage in both countries. It was recognized that additional upstream storage regulation was needed to prevent similar flooding and that it would also help to improve power production at hydro plants in both countries. The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) is then an important planning and operations agreement to maximize benefits (multiple water uses) from the river for both countries. Under the CRT, Canada and US built storage regulation dams and agreed to operate the storage behind these dams in a coordinated manner to optimize for flood control and power needs. The objective of this work is to describe and analyze the CRT and to discuss the increasing public awareness of social and environmental issues in both countries, which ha