LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the sign-
ing of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 between Canada and the United
States

WHEREAS, Perhaps the most important bilateral agreement in Canada-U.S.
relations, the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 has provided a foundation
for environmental cooperation and equality between the two countries
over the past century; and
WHEREAS, Signed at a time when disagreement over the shared waterways
could have divided the nations, the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909
established a binational tribunal, the International Joint Commission,
to investigate, resolve and prevent boundary water disputes between the
United States and Canada; and
WHEREAS, In addition to resolving disputes between the two nations,
the International Joint Commission evaluates applications for projects
in boundary waters and regulates the operations of many of those
projects; and
WHEREAS, Among its numerous long-term responsibilities, the Interna-
tional Joint Commission manages levels and flows of water in the Great
Lakes, St. Lawrence River, dam operations in the Columbia River Basin,
and the measurement and apportionment of water in the St. Mary's and
Milk River system; and
WHEREAS, With little modification, the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909
continued to govern decisions both sides made about the diversion of
water from the Niagara River until 1950, when the United States and
Canada drafted and signed the Niagara Diversion Treaty; and
WHEREAS, In 1964, the International Joint Commission granted its
approval to power agencies in Ontario and New York State to do something
no agencies, public or private, had tried to do before; hold back more
than 600 square kilometers of winter ice packs from one of the largest
freshwater lakes in the world; and
WHEREAS, Each winter since that time, the Ontario Power Generation and
the New York Power Authority have been installing the Lake Erie-Niagara
River Ice Boom between the shores of Fort Erie and Buffalo, 242 floating
pontoons that hold back the ice accumulating in Lake Erie during the
winter months and keep it from pushing down the Niagara River where it
could cause significant damage; and
WHEREAS, In 1981, the International Joint Commission released a
"Special Report On Pollution in the Niagara River," urging governments
in both countries to work more closely together to address the problem
of toxic industrial substances in the waterway; and
WHEREAS, The United States and Canadian governments responded to the
report and to growing pressure from their citizens by establishing a
Niagara River Toxics Committee to identify the major sources of
pollution and plot remedial action; and
WHEREAS, The work of the Niagara River Toxics Committee led to the
signing of an unprecedented "declaration of intent" by the governments
of the United States and Canada, and Ontario and New York, to reduce the
presence of toxic pollutants in the river by at least 50 percent within
10 years; and
WHEREAS, The governments continue to work together with partner groups
to this day on a Niagara River Toxics Management Plan for reducing
concentrations of chemicals in the waterway even further; and
WHEREAS, Another significant recent success of the International Joint
Commission has been its role in the evolution of the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement to help restore the deteriorating water quality of the

Great Lakes, which hold one-fifth of the world's supply of freshwater;
and
WHEREAS, The fundamental principles of the Boundary Waters Treaty of
1909 continue to be recognized every time governments, industries and
citizens of the United States and Canada work together to preserve the
life-sustaining riches of their shared waters for present and future
generations; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the Boundary Waters
Treaty of 1909 between Canada and the United States; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Mayors of Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls,
Ontario, Canada.