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International meeting on Canada's Corra Linn Dam
to be held in Bonners Ferry |
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October 23, 2014 |
It's possible you may have never heard of the
Corra Linn Dam.
But if you live in Boundary County, the Corra
Linn Dam affects you.
In a few days, the International Kootenay Lake
Board of Control will hold a public meeting
right here in Bonners Ferry to discuss
operations of the Corra Linn Dam. More on that
in a moment.
Background on the Corra Linn Dam
The Corra Linn Dam is one of six dams on the 485
mile course of the Kootenai River. After the
waters of the Canadian Kootenay River originate
from glacial flows in southeastern British
Columbia, the first dam the river encounters is
the Libby Dam in Montana. The second dam after
Libby is the Corra Linn Dam, past Kootenay Lake
and nine miles downriver of Nelson, British
Columbia. This is the first Kootenai River dam
downstream from Bonners Ferry.
The Corra Linn Dam was originally built in 1932
to control water storage and levels in Kootenay
Lake, and to generate power. Currently, the
Corra Linn Dam is owned and operated by
FortisBC, a large, integrated Canadian energy
company, which also owns three other dams,
natural gas facilities, and thousands of miles
of transmission and distribution lines for both
electrical power and natural gas.
What is the International Kootenay Lake
Board of Control?
The International Kootenay Lake Board of
Control, with representatives from both the
United States and Canada, was authorized in 1938
to supervise operations of the Corra Linn Dam
and its associated works.
The Kootenay Lake Board of Control is one of
several boards maintained by the International
Joint Commission (IJC), a joint operation of the
United States and Canada created to
cooperatively manage lake and river systems
along the US / Canada border.
International meeting scheduled for
Bonners Ferry
And that brings us now to the coming meeting.
This regulating and overseeing body, The
International Kootenay Lake Board of Control,
will hold its annual meeting in Bonners Ferry on
Thursday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m. at the
Kootenai River Inn. Last year's annual meeting
was held in Nelson, British Columbia.
According to information from the Board of
Control, this meeting will review the
requirements of operation of Corra Linn Dam by
FortisBC under the International Joint
Commission’s Orders of Approval, and the
associated Kootenay Lake water levels for 2014.
In addition, The Board will hear comments from
the public regarding concerns and suggestions on
the Board’s activities.
All six members of the Kootenay Lake Board of
Control will be in attendance at the meeting
(three from Canada and three from the United
States), including the U.S. and Canadian Board
Chairmen.
These Chairs are, for the United States,
Colonel John G. Buck, P.E., District Engineer of
the Seattle District for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and for Canada, Bruno Tassone, a
retired manager of Water Survey of Canada, the
scientific branch of Environment Canada that
maintains Canada's hydrometric network of data.
Also expected to attend this meeting are Rich
Moy, Commissioner of the United States Section
of the International Joint Commission (the
parent Commission of the Kootenay Lake Board of
Control); also Gordon Walker, Commissioner of
the IJC Canadian Section.
In addition, representatives from FortisBC,
owner and operator of the Corra Linn Dam, and
representatives from B.C. Hydro will likely also
be present at the Bonners Ferry meeting.
If you have interest in Kootenai River flows,
treaties, trans-border water management,
flooding, or are just curious about the whole
situation, consider attending this international
meeting being held in Bonners Ferry.
Important details of the meeting
Meeting: International Kootenay Lake Board of
Control Annual Public Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Kootenai River Inn in Bonners Ferry,
Idaho
For more information: Amy Reese, Secretary, U.S.
Section, Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, telephone 206-764-3595.
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