Since being appointed in September 2024, the members of the International Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed Study Board have been hard at work developing a Plan of Study for its work over the two-year mandate it is directed to undertake by the International Joint Commission (IJC).
In February 2025, the Study Board released and initiated a public consultation on its draft plan. As part of this consultation, the Board received a wide range of feedback from a Council of Indigenous Knowledge Holders, its three IJC-appointed Advisory Groups as well as the general public with interests in the Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed.
The Study Board met in Calgary, AB from February 19-20 to review the feedback it received during the public consultation period and considered how to incorporate it into the final version of its Plan of Study, which was published in May. During the consultation period, the board also met with the Council of Indigenous Knowledge Holders and its advisory groups to discuss the Plan of Study.
In support of the Study Board’s work, the IJC has appointed three Advisory Groups to provide regional and expert input on the Study Board’s work. These include a Public Advisory Group, an Industry Advisory Group and a Council of Governments Advisory Group.
The Study Board is comprised of experts from Canada, the United States and Indigenous Nations. The Study Board was established by the IJC in response to a Reference from the Governments of Canada and the United States in partnership with the Ktunaxa Nation. The Study Board’s Plan of Study foregrounds the importance of working with Ktunaxa experts, knowledge holders and elders in all aspects of the Study.
The Study Board is tasked by the IJC to convene experts and knowledge holders to conduct transparent and coordinated transboundary data and knowledge sharing in order to develop a common understanding of pollution with the Elk-Kootenai/y watershed and the impacts of that pollution on people and species. To support this work, the Study Board is proposing the creation of four technical working groups to explore the following themes:
- Water Quality Status and Trends
- Impacts to Human Health and Well-Being
- Impacts to Ecosystems, Including Cumulative Effects
The Board is carrying out public consultations over the coming months in preparation to deliver an interim report to the IJC in Fall 2025, visit this page for more information: https://ijc.org/en/ekwsb/iekwsb-2025-listening-sessions. The Study Board will ultimately submit a final report and recommendations to the IJC in September 2026. To stay up to date with Study Board activities, visit www.ijc.org/ekwsb.
