Establishment of the International Joint Commission (IJC)

The largest freshwater reserves in the world, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River System, are located along the border between Canada and the United States. In order to assist both governments in finding cooperative approaches to transboundary protection measures and the management of these waters, the International Joint Commission (IJC) was founded as a bilateral institution through the Boundary Waters Treaty in 1909. In general, the primary work of the International Joint Commission is to ensure the sustainable use of the Great Lakes and to prevent further pollution in the system. As an impartial consultant, the IJC moderated the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972 and approved the construction of dams and hydroelectric power stations on the St. Marys and St. Lawrence Rivers.