Lake Whatcom is a major source of drinking water for the community, a recreational asset and a valuable habitat for plants and animals. It is also polluted by runoff and at risk from climate change, invasive species and human activities.
That’s why the partner agencies of the Lake Whatcom Management Program are seeking public comment on a draft work plan to guide the next five years of lake and watershed protection, preservation and rehabilitation.
In the 1990s, the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District formed the Lake Whatcom Management Program to restore and protect the lake and its surrounding watershed. Every five years, the agencies draft a new coordinated management plan to meet program goals and the Draft 2025-2029 Work Plan is now available for public review and comment.
The plan lays out a multipronged approach for the county, the city, and the water district to tackle the lake’s pollution issue, with program areas that include land preservation and acquisition, stormwater management, public education and outreach, land use policies and protections against aquatic invasive species.
According to the 2023 Lake Whatcom Management Program progress report, those efforts have resulted in an annual reduction of more than 200 pounds of phosphorus entering the lake. Generated from human activity in developed landscapes and conveyed into the lake by stormwater and creeks, too much phosphorous causes algal blooms and decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.
The 2025-2029 work plan has two new program areas: climate action and forest management, which reflect the growing threat of climate changes and renewed concerns about forest practices.
Comments on the draft work plan can be submitted in writing by Aug. 25 in three different ways:
- Website: Engage Bellingham (City of Bellingham’s public engagement website) at www.engagebellingham.org/lw-work-plan
- Email: WaterResources@co.whatcom.wa.us with the subject line “LWMP Work Plan Comments”
- Mail: Whatcom County Public Works Natural Resources Division, 322 N. Commercial St, Second Floor, Bellingham, WA 98225
A summary of comments received will be posted to the work plan webpage in mid-September, and the plan will be reviewed during the Lake Whatcom Joint Policy Group meeting on Sept. 18.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
