The treaty provides principles for Canada and the United States to follow in using the waters they share. For example, both countries must agree to any project that would change the natural levels or flows of boundary waters. Far ahead of its time, the treaty states that waters shall not be polluted on either side of the boundary to the injury of health or property on the other side. The principles in the treaty are as relevant today as they were in 1909.

The treaty established the International Joint Commission, with three members from each country. The ongoing work of the IJC helps to fulfill the treaty’s purpose of preventing disputes as well as resolving them.