Transboundary Water Governance in the Columbia River Basin: Analysis and Assessment of Challenges and Barriers to More Effective and Collaborative Governance

The Columbia River Basin (CRB) is environmentally and economically significant to thousands of species, diverse habitats, and the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people in the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) is single-handedly the most influential agreement related to the management of the region’s water. The CRT is a bilateral agreement between Canada and the U.S., designed for the purposes of coordinating flood control and producing hydroelectric power. Ratified in 1964, the treaty’s terms and objectives continue to guide much of the region’s transboundary water governance today, some 59 years later. Despite traditionally being viewed by scholars and policymakers as a successful model for bilateral cooperation and water resource management, regional actors have expressed concerns, including the lack of consideration given to the impacts of treaty-related dams on the well-being of local communities and on ecosystem health. Over the decades, the increasing number of criticisms, environmental concerns, and the need for engagement of more diverse interests have resulted in a lengthy renegotiation process that began in 2018. This thesis uses relevant literature to identify principles of effective, sustainable, and collaborative transboundary water governance relevant to the CRB and uses these five principles as a basis for assessing the perceived effectiveness of the CRT and the current overall governance system and structure in addressing environmental, political, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges. This research also focused on identifying barriers, and the potential solutions to these barriers, to fostering more effective, sustainable, and collaborative governance. An online survey was conducted with respondents from the government, NGO, research, private sector, and Indigenous organizations. The research indicates there are flaws in the current polycentric governance system, a need for greater flexibility and adaptability within the CRT, inadequate cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination, and significant shortcomings in governance processes related to public engagement and environmental justice. This thesis also includes recommendations that flow from the findings, including the development of a working group to address weaknesses in the governance system, the inclusion of new inclusive mechanisms, a publicly accessible and detailed impact assessment of the new CRT treaty, and serious consideration and exploration of establishing an International River Boundary Organization (IRBO) to enhance governance in the CRB.