The International Souris River Board chose Estevan as the host city for their annual general meeting this year.
The co-chairmen of the board, Russel Boals from Saskatchewan and Todd Sando from North Dakota, played host to a Thursday evening open house presentation in the Taylorton Room at Days Inn, and then led group and committee discussions at the AGM on Friday.
The ISRB’s mandate is to provide responsible management of the Souris/Mouse River as it winds its way from Saskatchewan into North Dakota and back into Manitoba.
The 12-member board consisting of appointed representatives with specific expertise in water flow management and the maintenance of water quality, met with the intention of steadily improving the water flow and use systems.
The Thursday evening presentation noted how the International Joint Commission, the body that oversees the ISRB, is an agency that involves the federal governments of Canada and the United States. The IJC first started monitoring the Souris/Mouse River system in 1940 and have steadily refined the overseeing operations over the years.
“We have seen the floods and we’ve seen the droughts,” said Boals in his opening remarks at the open house that was attended by about 50 people, including several delegates from North Dakota who posed specific questions regarding downstream management.
Details regarding the ISRB open house will be reported in the June 24 edition of the Mercury.
