Lake Whatcom Cooperative Management Program Joint Councils & Commissioners (Annual Meeting Part 2)

## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE **Meeting ID:** WHA-CON-2025-06-04 ### Meeting Overview The Lake Whatcom Cooperative Management Program held its annual joint meeting between Whatcom County Council, Bellingham City Council, and Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District commissioners on June 4, 2025. The meeting focused on implementation challenges for the 2025-2029 work plan, coordination between jurisdictions on land use regulations, and upcoming projects including wildfire preparedness and invasive species response planning. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Lake Whatcom Policy Group:** A smaller working group with representatives from each jurisdiction that meets regularly to coordinate lake management efforts and policy discussions. **TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load):** A federal water quality standard that sets limits on phosphorus pollution entering Lake Whatcom, driving many of the regulatory requirements. **Phosphorus Loading Limitation:** Regulations limiting how much phosphorus can run off from new development - city requires 0.15 pounds per acre per year, county allows 0.1875 pounds per acre per year. **Forest Management Plan:** Joint planning effort between city and county covering 13,000 acres of publicly-owned land around the lake to protect water quality and forest health. **Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Rapid Response Plan:** Emergency protocols being developed to respond quickly if zebra mussels, golden mussels, or faga mussels are detected in Lake Whatcom. **Full Dispersion vs. Engineered Systems:** Two approaches to managing stormwater runoff - full dispersion uses natural vegetation on large properties, engineered systems are built treatment facilities. **Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP):** Voluntary program helping property owners remove lawns and install native landscaping to reduce phosphorus runoff. **Land Acquisition Program:** City program using dedicated revenue to purchase developable land around the lake to permanently protect it. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kaylee Galloway | Whatcom County Council, meeting chair | | Lisa Anderson | Bellingham City Council | | Todd Donovan | Whatcom County Council | | Barry Scanlon | Whatcom County Council | | Michael Lilliquist | Bellingham City Council | | Kathy Craver | Whatcom County Public Works, lead presenter | | Jason Porter | City of Bellingham, Lake Whatcom program manager | | Mike Ralston | City of Bellingham Natural Resources | | Morgan Ruff | City of Bellingham Special Projects Manager | | Renee Swenson | Retiring City of Bellingham Lake Whatcom coordinator | ### Background Context Lake Whatcom serves as the primary drinking water source for Bellingham and surrounding areas, but development pressure and climate change threaten water quality. The lake has been on Washington's impaired waters list due to excess phosphorus, which can cause harmful algae blooms. Three jurisdictions - Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, and Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District - coordinate management efforts through a formal cooperative program with 5-year work plans. The current challenge is that most of the watershed (about 70%) is in unincorporated county jurisdiction, but the city has more aggressive water quality regulations and dedicated funding sources. This creates coordination challenges and questions about whether regulations should be made more consistent across jurisdictions. Recent wildfire threats and invasive species discoveries in nearby waters have added new urgency to protection efforts, requiring rapid response planning and cross-training between agencies. ### What Happened — The Short Version Council Member Anderson opened with detailed questions about coordination between jurisdictions, particularly around inspection and enforcement of stormwater systems and boat launch monitoring for invasive species. Staff provided updates on the homeowner incentive program, showing the city has worked with 180 property owners to remove over 1 million square feet of lawn, while the county worked with 56 property owners on 195,000 square feet. The discussion then shifted to wildfire preparedness, with Anderson expressing concerns about fire retardant use in the watershed and cross-training needs. Staff confirmed DNR has agreed not to use fire retardant in the Lake Whatcom watershed and that wildfire response planning is underway. Budget challenges emerged as a key theme, with officials discussing the need for dedicated revenue sources and noting that land acquisition costs continue rising while invasive species threats require more monitoring and rapid response capabilities. The major presentation covered differences in land use regulations between city and county, highlighting that the county allows 25% more phosphorus runoff (0.1875 vs 0.15 pounds per acre per year) and has different enforcement mechanisms. A clear-cut photo sparked discussion about gaps in private forestry regulation. ### What to Watch Next • Mid-biennium budget discussions will determine resources for analyzing and potentially aligning city-county development codes • Forest management plan draft expected in August 2025 • Lake Whatcom Policy Group meetings may expand scope to more active policy development rather than just updates • Comprehensive plan updates in fall 2025 may address watershed protection and growth allocation issues ---