📋 City Council Regular Meeting
Water Resources Advisory Board (City of Bellingham)
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Meeting Summary
The centerpiece of the meeting was Riley Graham's detailed presentation on the Water Use Efficiency Program, a state-mandated conservation initiative required under Washington's 2003 Municipal Water Law. The program has successfully maintained peak day demand below 14 million gallons per day over the past five years, with Bellingham residents using significantly less water than the national average. The board unanimously approved Resolution 2025-01, adopting the program's next 10-year plan.
The presentation revealed both successes and challenges in the city's water management. While conservation programs have saved an estimated 2 million gallons annually through rebate programs, the board learned of a significant metering problem at the water treatment plant that makes production data unreliable. The meter measuring water leaving the treatment plant is inaccurate due to pipeline configuration issues, creating a data gap that staff will need to address with the Department of Health.
Looking forward, the city is shifting its conservation goal from peak day demand to per-capita consumption targets, aiming to keep single-family residential accounts below 154 gallons per day. This change reflects both the metering challenges and alignment with the broader water system plan update. The program will continue existing rebate programs while adding new measures including potential development code updates and operational efficiency improvements.
Study Guide
## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE
**Meeting ID:** BEL-WRA-2025-02-25
### Meeting Overview
The Bellingham Water Resources Advisory Board met on February 25, 2025, to review the city's water use efficiency program, elect new leadership, and approve a resolution supporting the program's next 10-year plan. The meeting focused heavily on how the city conserves water and meets state requirements for municipal water systems.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Municipal Water Law:** A 2003 Washington state law requiring water systems to develop conservation programs, fully meter their systems, and meet distribution leakage standards. This law drives most of Bellingham's water efficiency requirements.
**Peak Day Demand (PDD):** The highest amount of water used in a single day, typically occurring during summer months when people water lawns and gardens. Bellingham's goal is to keep this below 14 million gallons per day.
**Water Use Efficiency Program:** A state-mandated conservation program that includes rebates, education, and tracking measures. Bellingham must implement nine specific conservation measures as a system with up to 50,000 service connections.
**Distribution Leakage:** Water lost through pipe breaks and system leaks. State law required all water systems to meet a 10% maximum leakage standard by 2020.
**Service Connection:** Essentially a water meter - each property's connection to the city water system, regardless of how many people live there.
**Single Family Residential Account:** Properties with 1-4 units that have their own water meter. Anything with 5+ units is considered multifamily and typically has one shared meter.
**Irrigation Meter:** A separate water connection for outdoor watering that doesn't include sewer charges, making it cheaper for properties with large landscaping needs.
**Lake Whatcom:** Bellingham's primary water source, serving both city customers and several water districts in the region.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Brett Lane | RAB Chair (re-elected) |
| Martin Chelstead | RAB Vice Chair (elected) |
| Rick Eggers | RAB Member (ran for chair) |
| Carl Benson | New RAB Member |
| Kristen McDade | RAB Member |
| John Peppel | RAB Member |
| Francesca White | RAB Member |
| Riley Graham | Public Works Communications Manager |
| Mike Wilson | Public Works Assistant Director |
| Jim Mergner | City Staff |
| Toril Ramsey | Public Works Communications |
### Background Context
Washington state passed the Municipal Water Law in 2003 to ensure cities use water efficiently and protect long-term supply reliability. This law forced Bellingham to eliminate flat-rate billing and install meters on every connection by 2017. Now the city must update its conservation program every 10 years (previously every 6 years) as part of its comprehensive water system planning.
Bellingham gets its water from Lake Whatcom, which also serves several regional water districts. The city's water treatment plant can produce 24 million gallons per day, but typical summer peak demand is around 12-14 million gallons. The city has been successful at conservation - residents use about 154 gallons per day per household, well below the national average of 172 gallons.
However, the city faces a technical challenge: the meter measuring water leaving the treatment plant is inaccurate due to pipe configuration issues, making it difficult to track system-wide water loss. This forces staff to rely on customer meter data instead of production data for planning.
### What Happened — The Short Version
The board held elections and re-elected Brett Lane as chair, with Martin Chelstead becoming vice chair after some discussion about rotating leadership. Staff presented the proposed 10-year water efficiency program, which shifts from tracking peak day demand to tracking per-household consumption (keeping it below 154 gallons per day per single-family account).
The program continues existing rebate programs for water-efficient toilets and fixtures, expands low-income direct installation services, and adds new measures around development code updates and operational efficiency improvements. The city will continue educational programs including "water school" for 5th graders and community outreach.
Board members asked detailed questions about irrigation metering, billing changes, and program effectiveness. The board unanimously approved Resolution 2025-01 supporting the program, which will go to City Council on March 24th for final adoption.
### What to Watch Next
- City Council consideration of the water efficiency program on March 24, 2025
- Release of the full Water System Plan in mid-March, focusing on capital improvements and financing
- Implementation of new billing software that may provide better customer education tools
- Potential updates to city development codes for more efficient water fixtures
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