International Joint Commission
United States and Canada

NEWS RELEASE
July 23, 2003

Open House to Discuss Duck Lake Dykes

The International Joint Commission (IJC) will hold an open house to discuss the review of its Order of Approval governing the dykes surrounding Duck Lake, and operations inside Duck Lake, located on the Kootenay River.

The Open House, to be held at the time and location below, will provide an opportunity to meet informally with an IJC Commissioner and advisors, and ask questions about the ongoing review of the Duck Lake Order:

                                    Tuesday, July 29, 2003

                                    3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

                                    Town Hall

                                    Volunteer Room

                                    238 10^th Avenue North

                                    Creston, British Columbia

In February 2003, the IJC announced that it would review its Order for Duck Lake after public concern had been raised over the effects of water levels management on bass, and a request was made to transfer the management of Duck Lake water levels to a more local level. The IJC will hold a more formal public meeting, tentatively scheduled to take place in Creston, BC on September 11, 2003 in the evening, prior to making any decisions about its Order for Duck Lake.

The IJC is an international organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters shared by Canada and the United States. Its responsibilities include approving certain projects in one country that would increase the natural water levels in the other country, such as the dykes encompassing Duck Lake. For more information, including an information paper on Duck Lake, visit our website, or contact an IJC staff member:

Frank Bevacqua          Public Information Officer     (202) 736-9024

Tom McAuley             Engineering Advisor              (613) 995-0433

WWW.IJC.ORG