About

Water Management

Resources

Steering Committee Member Login


Columbia River Basin

The Columbia River is important to Canada for a number of reasons:

  • It is a major element of the provincial economy – producing about 50% of the hydroelectric power in B.C. and it helps keep power costs in B.C. among the lowest in North America;
  • British Columbia receives benefits from the United States under the Columbia River Treaty by storing water in Canada to reduce flood risk and optimize electricity generation downstream;
  • It has increasing recreation, tourism values; and
  • First Nations and ecosystem issues, such as fisheries are emerging as priorities in the management of the river.

The Columbia River begins its 2,000 kilometre journey at Columbia Lake near Canal Flats, B.C. and continues until it reaches the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Oregon. As the sixth largest river Basin by area in North America, the entire Columbia Basin covers 671,000 square kilometres within Canada and the United States – that's approximately the size of the province of Alberta, the state of Texas, or the country of France.

The Columbia River crosses one international boundary, and seven state boundaries. Fifteen per cent of the Columbia Basin lies within Canada. Four mountain ranges deeply dissect the Canadian Basin creating a wide range of ecosystems from interior rain forests to grasslands to deserts, and it is home to a diversity of wildlife with over 700 species of reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals. Wetlands, streams, rivers and lakes are the lifeblood of the Columbia River system - providing habitat for a rich diversity of species, fueling our economy and bringing water to its human inhabitants.


Today, approximately 160,000 people live in the Canadian Columbia River Basin but archaeologists tell us that humans have inhabited the Columbia River Basin for more than 10,000 years. First Nations had traditionally used the land and the river systems for fishing, hunting, gathering, transportation, and cultural purposes. Additional European settlement began in the mid- and late-1800s with mining booms and construction of the Canadian Pacific and other railways. Through time, Columbia Basin natural resources have been the foundation for significant economic development through forestry, hydroelectric power generation, mining, tourism and agriculture.