A study board investigating pollution in the Kootenay watershed is inviting public comment in order to draft a plan outlining the priorities and work proposed by the board over the next 19 months.
The effort is led by the International Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed Study Board, which is under the umbrella of the International Joint Commission (IJC), which accepted a reference from Canada and the United States, in partnership with the Ktunaxa Nation, to explore the impacts of transboundary water pollution.
Public comment is being accepted until Feb. 17, 2025, however, the study board is also hosting a virtual public meeting is also scheduled for Feb. 11. The study board will provide an overview of the study plans and provide an opportunity for feedback and questions.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for the public to help guide the work on this study,” says US Study Board Co-chair, Tom Bansak. “We are grateful for the chance to work together, engage all interested parties and involve knowledgeable experts with the unified goal of understanding the impacts of pollution in the watershed.”
The study board was launched in September 2024 and will wrap up its work by September 2026.
The Study Board has been directed by the IJC to convene experts and knowledge holders to conduct transparent and coordinated transboundary data and knowledge sharing in order to develop a common understanding of pollution with the Elk-Kootenai/y watershed and the impacts of that pollution on people and species.
“At the end of this two-year process, the Study Board, with input from the public, will be delivering findings and recommendations to the International Joint Commission,” adds Canadian Study Board Co-chair Oliver Brandes. “It is critical for the Study Board to listen to the public in the basin as we carry out our work.”
The water pollution concerns stem from alleged impacts from mining in the Elk Valley.
The Elk River rises in the Canadian Rockies and flows into Lake Koocanusa (also known as Koocanusa Reservoir), an impoundment of the Kootenay/Kootenai River that spans the Canadian-US border behind the Libby Dam in Montana.
Below the reservoir, the Kootenay/Kootenai River 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.
