INTERNATIONAL RAINY LAKE BOARD OF CONTROL            
IRLBC

News Release

February 28, 2007

IJC Issues Supplementary Order for Rainy Lake Outflows

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has issued a supplementary order for emergency regulation of the level of Rainy Lake and other boundary waters in the Rainy Lake watershed, effective February 27, 2007, in light of the severe drought conditions that have persisted for the past eight months and that may continue this spring.

The supplementary order authorizes the IJC’s International Rainy Lake Board to set the Rainy Lake outflow into the Rainy River as low as 65 cubic metres per second (2,300 cubic feet per second) whenever the level of Rainy Lake is below its lower rule curve or below elevation 336.8 metres (1,105 feet), whichever is higher, up to June 30, 2007 or such earlier date as the IJC might determine.

The Board of Control recommended that the IJC grant this authority in order to conserve water – should drought conditions persist in Rainy Lake in the coming months – for a variety of purposes, including fish spawning and municipal water supplies.

The International Joint Commission was established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada prevent and resolve disputes over the use of their shared waters. Additional responsibilities to adopt measures of control with respect to the dams at International Falls-Fort Frances and Kettle Falls were given to the IJC by the 1938 Rainy Lake Convention.

CONTACT:

Frank BevacquaWashington(202) 736-9024
Nick HeislerOttawa(613) 992-8367