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After the completion of the survey and demarcation of the boundary line between the Dominion of Canada and the United States from the Gulf of Georgia to Lake Superior and from the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean, as provided for by the Treaty of April 11, 1908, the Commissioners appointed under the provisions of that Treaty shall continue to carry out the provisions of this Article, and, upon the death, resignation, or other disability of either of them, the Party on whose side the vacancy occurs shall appoint an Expert Geographer or Surveyor as Commissioner, who shall have the same powers and duties in respect to carrying out the provisions of this Article, as are conferred by this Article upon the Commissioner appointed under the provisions of the said Treaty of 1908.

The Contracting Parties further agree that each Government shall pay the salaries and expenses of its own commissioner and bis assistants, and that the expenses jointly incurred by the Commissioners in maintaining the demarcation of the boundary line in accordance with the provisions of this Article shall be borne equally by the two Governments.

ARTICLE V.

This treaty shall be ratified by the Contracting Parties and the ratifications shall be exchanged in Ottawa or Washington as soon as practicable. The treaty shall take effect on the date of the exchange of ratifications.

Upon the expiration of six years from the date of the exchange of ratifications of the present treaty, or any time thereafter, Article IV may be terminated upon twelve months' written notice given by either Contracting Party to the other, and following such termination the Commissioners therein mentioned and their successors shall cease to perform the functions thereby prescribed.

In faith whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed this treaty in duplicate and have hereunto affixed their seals.

Done at Washington the 24th day of February, A.D. 1925.

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To regulate the Level of the Lake of the Woods.

Washington, February 24, 1925.

Ratifications exchanged at Washington, July 17, 1925.]

Presented by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to Parliament by Command of His Majesty.

LONDON:

PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses. Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 28, Abingdon Street, London, S.W.1; York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff;

or 120, George Street, Edinburgh;

or through any Bookseller.

1925

Price 2d. Net.

Cmd. 2511,

Convention, Protocol and Agreement between Canada and the United States of America to regulate the Level of the Lake of the Woods.

Signed at Washington, February 24, 1925.

[Ratifications exchanged at Washington, July 17, 1925.]

His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, in respect of the Dominion of Canada, and the United States of America:

Desiring to regulate the level of Lake of the Woods in order to secure to the inhabitants of Canada and the United States the most advantageous use of the waters thereof and of the waters flowing into and from the ake on each side of the boundary between the two countries, and

Accepting as a basis of agreement the recommendations made. by the International Joint Commission in its final report of May 18th, 1917, on the Reference concerning Lake of the Woods submitted to it by the Governments of Canada and the United States of America, Have resolved to conclude a Convention for that purpose and have accordingly named as their plenipotentiaries :

His Britannic Majesty, in respect of the Dominion of Canada: The Honourable Ernest Lapointe, K.C., a member of His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Justice in the Government of that Dominion; and

The President of the United States of America: Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of State of the United States;

Who, having communicated to each other their full powers. found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE I.

In the present Convention, the term "level of Lake of the Woods" or "level of the lake means the level of the open lake unaffected by wind or currents.

The term "Lake of the Woods watershed" means the entire region in which the waters discharged at the outlets of Lake of the Woods have their natural source.

The term "sea level datum" means the datum permanently established by the International Joint Commission at the town of Warroad, Minnesota, of which the description is as follows:

"Top of copper plug in concrete block carried below frost line, and located near fence in front of and to the west of new schoolhouse. Established October 3, 1912. Elevation, sea level datum, 1068.797."

"The International Joint Commission" means the Commission established under the Treaty signed at Washington on the 11th day of January, 1909, between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, relating to boundary waters and questions arising between the United States and Canada.

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ARTICLE II.

The level of Lake of the Woods shall be regulated to the extent. and in the manner provided for in the present Convention, with the object of securing to the inhabitants of Canada and the United States the most advantageous use of the waters thereof and of the waters flowing into and from the Lake on each side of the boundary between the two countries for domestic and sanitary purposes, for navigation purposes, for fishing purposes, and for power, irrigation and reclamation purposes.

ARTICLE III.

The Government of Canada shall establish and maintain a Canadian Lake of the Woods Control Board, composed of engineers, which shall regulate and control the outflow of the waters of Lake of the Woods.

There shall be established and maintained an International Lake of the Woods Control Board, composed of two engineers, one appointed by the Government of Canada and one by the Government of the United States from their respective public services, and whenever the level of the lake rises above elevation 1061 sea level datum or falls below elevation 1056 sea level datum the rate of total discharge of water from the lake shall be subject to the approval of this Board.

ARTICLE IV.

The level of Lake of the Woods shall ordinarily be maintained between elevations 1056 and 1061 25 sea level datum, and between these two elevations the regulation shall be such as to ensure the highest continuous uniform discharge of water from the lake.

During periods of excessive precipitation the total discharge of water from the lake shall, upon the level reaching elevation 1061 sea level datum, be so regulated as to ensure that the extreme high level of the lake shall at no time exceed elevation 1062.5 sea level datum.

The level of the lake shall at no time be reduced below elevation 1056 sea level datum except during periods of low precipitation and then only upon the approval of the International Lake of the Woods Control Board and subject to such conditions and limitations as may be necessary to protect the use of the waters of the lake for domestic, sanitary, navigation and fishing purposes.

ARTICLE V.

If in the opinion of the International Lake of the Woods Control Board the experience gained in the regulation of the lake under Articles III and IV, or the provision of additional facilities for the storage of waters tributary to the lake, demonstrates that it is practicable to permit the upper limit of the ordinary range in the levels of the lake to be raised from elevation 1061-25 sea level datum to a higher level and at the same time to prevent during periods of excessive precipitation the extreme high level of the lake from exceeding elevation 1062-5 sea level datum, this shall be permitted under such conditions as the International Lake of the Woods 2826 Wt. 1250 9/25 F.O.P. [13527]

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