The Red River Basin Commission (RRBC) was formed in 2002 to initiate a grass roots effort to address land and water issues in a basin-wide context. The RRBC was formed as a result of a  merger between The Red River Basin Board, The International Coalition, and the Red River Water Resources Council. 

The RRBC is a chartered not-for-profit corporation under the provisions of Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota law.  It maintains offices in Moorhead, Minnesota, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is dedicated to innovation in the management of the Red River Basin's water resources. 

The  RRBC is made up of a 41-member Board of Directors, comprised of mainly representatives of local government, including the cities, counties, rural municipalities, watershed boards, water resource districts, joint powers boards, as well as First Nations representation, a water supply cooperative, a lake improvement association, environmental groups, and four at-large members.  The Governors of North Dakota, Minnesota, and the Premier of the Province of Manitoba have also appointed members to the Board.  

The RRBC has adopted a vision, a mission statement and a set of  Guiding Principles, based on input provided by Basin residents, to guide its future activities.  Although general in nature, these documents provided the foundation to develop reasonably specific goals and objectives for water management in the basin.  These goals and objectives, along with the mission statement and the Guiding Principles, will provide a framework for the Board to conduct business in the future.