Canada will have a say in the operation of a major Missouri River water project in the northern US under a deal negotiated by officials in the two countries to end a 16-year-legal battle.
The agreement on the USD 244 million Northwest Area Water Supply project won't be final until a federal appeals court formally dismisses the case, and the state of Missouri also is still fighting the project in court. But the deal will end the international dispute that has held up completion of the project first authorized by Congress in 1986.
The project aims to bring Missouri River water to as many as 82,000 people in northwestern North Dakota, giving them a reliable source of quality water. Manitoba sued in 2002 over concerns about the possible transfer of harmful bacteria or other agents from the Missouri River Basin to the Hudson Bay Basin.
The agreement reached between the US Bureau of Reclamation and the Canadian province of Manitoba sets up a team with Canadian representation to oversee treatment and monitoring of the river water, and among other duties help develop an emergency response plan.
The team also is to have representatives of the state and federal governments south of the border, and is to meet at least once a year.
The Manitoba government in a statement to The Associated Press called the agreement "a crucial deal" that will allow the province to end its court fight. US District Judge Rosemary Collyer in Washington, D C, ruled last August that the water project complied with federal environmental law, but Manitoba appealed.
"Without this settlement, Manitoba would not have a voice in the future of the NAWS project," the statement said. "The province is ensuring that Manitoba is involved in the discussion when important decisions are made that could affect Manitoba's waterways."