MEDIA RELEASE

For Release: May 11, 1999

IJC to hold public hearings on
Orders for Rainy and Namakan Lakes

The International Joint Commission (IJC) will hold a public hearing on the review of its Orders for Rainy and Namakan Lakes prior to deciding on whether to amend the Orders.

The IJC has received a draft final report from its International Rainy Lake Board of Control making recommendations on the management of Rainy and Namakan Lake water levels based on the Board's assessment of hydraulic modeling, inflow forecasting, flood risk, fisheries, environmental data, economic and social factors, and downstream impacts. The report is available from the Board's web site at the following address on the Internet:

http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/rainy_lake/rl_pub.php

The review was initiated by the IJC in April 1995, after considering the views expressed at a public hearing on November 10, 1994, and advice from its International Rainy Lake Board of Control. In December 1993, the Rainy Lake and Namakan Reservoir International Steering Committee requested that the IJC amend its Orders to benefit fish and wildlife, and to achieve other objectives.

The public hearing will be held at the following time and place:

6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7, 1999

La Place Rendez-Vous Hotel
1201 Idylwild Dr.
Fort Frances, Ontario

Written comments may also be submitted by July 30, 1999 to either of the following addresses:

Secretary, Canadian Section 100 Metcalfe Street, 18th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5M1 Fax 613.993.5583 Email Commission@ottawa.ijc.org

Secretary, United States Section 1250 23rd Street NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20440 Fax 202.736.9015 Email Commission@washington.ijc.org

The International Joint Commission is an independent international organization established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Three members are appointed by the President of the United States and three by the Canadian Governor General in Council. The IJC's Orders for Rainy and Namakan Lakes were issued pursuant to the 1938 Rainy Lake Convention.

Contacts:	Washington, D.C.	Frank Bevacqua	202.736.9024
	Ottawa, ON	Fabien Lengellé	613.995.0088