FAQ
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Why Is the Lake Whatcom Reservoir Important?
What Shape Is Lake Whatcom In Today?
What Are the Primary Threats to the Lake Whatcom Reservoir?
How Is So Much Phosphorus Getting Into The Lake?
Are Existing Programs And Proposals Enough?
Lake Whatcom is currently the source of drinking water for approximately 85,000 people. Keeping the Lake Whatcom Reservoir clean and healthy is necessary to ensure future generations a reliable source for their drinking water.
It is the only source of drinking water for the city of Bellingham and much of Whatcom County. There is no other source of clean drinking water easily and economically available in the region.
Lake Whatcom is listed as an impaired water body by the E.P.A. under section 303 (d) of the Clean Water Act. This listing requires specific action by local governments to address the sources of pollution. This listing is also a wake up call and a reliable indicator of progressive future problems unless meaningful action is taken now to protect Lake Whatcom. The watershed area is partly in the City of Bellingham and partly in unincorporated Whatcom County, so controls should be set and actions should be taken by both governments.
Phosphorus.
There are a number of polluntants that are impairing the lake, but the evidence points to phosphorus as the biggest threat.
The lake is taking in too much phophorus too quickly. When the lake has more phosphorus the lake has more algae. More algae uses up more dissolved oxygen. This leaves less dissolved oxygen for everything other living thing in the lake.
It affects your wallet.
The more algae in the lake, the more treatment has to be done to make the water safe to drink. More treatment costs more money. Millions of dollars more. And not just millions of dollars of just anyone's money... millions of dollars of your money. (That will include millions of dollars of your children's and grandchildren's money, too.)
But wait... there's more...
The lake generates revenue by drawing tourists who enjoy such things like fishing and swimming. The quality of the water in Lake Whatcom is a fundamental component of that economic equation. A mossy lake with no fish in it is unlikely to draw as many tourists as a clean lake full of fish.
But that's not all...
Water quality impacts property values. This is true whether you own property in the watershed or not. When you protect the quality of the water in Lake Whatcom, you are protecting the long term value of your property.
We are putting it there.
There are many individual sources of phosphorus; according to the TMDL, there is a strong corelation between an increase in acres of developed land in the watershed and an increase in phosphorus levels in the lake.
Short for Total Maximum Daily Load, a TMDL is a study done on lakes that the E.P.A. has classified as impaired bodies of water. A TMDL study is designed to find out how much of a pollutant that a lake can handle and still conform to federal water quality standards.
In regards to Lake Whatcom, "The TMDL" refers to the 2008 Lake Whatcom Watershed TMDL.
No.
The construction of a new sewer line by (then-named) Water District 10 (now named Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District) has allowed significant new development in sensitive areas of the watershed prior to studies being completed and prior to City and County programs to control stormwater runoff being designed, much less funded and built. Land Acquisition programs are an integral part of a comprehensive plan. While downzoning is also an integral part, these are only pieces of a comprehensive approach that must be taken if we are to preserve the Lake Whatcom Reservoir as our drinking water resource for future generations.
A comprehensive watershed plan.
The components of such a plan would include the following:
It is your responsibility as a water utility customer to advocate for protection and restoration of Lake Whatcom.
Make sure your elected officials know that you want the lake restored. Give your vote to those that work to restore the lake, and withhold your vote from those that don't.
Those who live in the watershed can become active stewards of this valuable resource.
The list of things that watershed residents can do is staggering. A small sample looks like this:
Mow your lawn less.
Wash your car less.
Use watershed friendly fertilizer, sparingly.
Pick up after your dog. (and your cat, your python, your alpaca, your hefalump, etc.)
Plant more trees.
Those who live outside the watershed are urged to remember...
It is your lake too.
You are a full stakeholder in this matter.
You need clean drinking water just like everyone else. And your need for clean drinking water means you are entitled to just as much say in what happens to the lake as anyone.
If you want the lake restored, and you want it restored on your terms, then make yourself heard.