E. Oregon Street Phosphorus Management Retrofit

​Project Overview: EV-0139

Lake Whatcom, the drinking water source for over 100,000 residents of Bellingham and Whatcom County, has experienced a decline in water quality. Residential development is one of the causes of excess phosphorus (natural and man-made nutrients that harm water quality) in the lake.

The City is part of a multi-jurisdictional effort to reclaim a healthy watershed by implementing projects and programs aimed at eliminating phosphorus loading in stormwater. These efforts include aggressive retrofitting of existing stormwater infrastructure to maximize pollution-removal opportunities.

This project addressed a portion of the watershed that drained to Lake Whatcom without phosphorus treatment. It involved installing treatment and infiltration systems on an undeveloped City-owned parcel. The systems were designed specifically to reduce phosphorus in runoff from over 20 acres of residential development and public rights-of-way.

Construction included the installation of a vault using a crane/

Landscaping on the City lot, which is next to Silver Beach Creek, was upgraded to act as a natural filter for runoff. In addition to this natural filtration, leading edge technology was used to capture and treat pollution in runoff. The existing pipe and ditch system was upgraded to better control drainage along Haggin Street and E. Oregon Street. Newly landscaped areas will provide a more protective buffer for the creek, reducing high flows that could otherwise result in erosion of the creek channel, and helping to improve the creek’s water quality.

Update – February 2021

Accomplishments: 

  • Advertise for consultant qualifications
  • Select consultant
  • Prepare scope of work and negotiate agreement
  • Submit Inadvertent Discovery Plan
  • Site survey
  • Initiate design
  • Design 30%
  • Evaluate/select design alternatives
  • Submit Design Report to Ecology for review
  • Design 60%
  • Ecology Design Report acceptance
  • Submittal of permits
  • Submit Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) cultural resource document
  • Submittal of 90% Plans, Specifications and Estimate
  • Project Advertisement for bids
  • Council award of construction
  • Construction Start
  • Substantial completion
  • 1 Year Maintenance/Guarantee Period
  • Final close out

Project Details

  • Status – Complete
  • Vicinity Map
  • Contract Awarded – May 8, 2017
  • Contract Amount – $474,904.00
  • Contractor – Colacurcio Brothers Inc.
  • Completion Date:  September 22, 2017
  • Final Contract Amount:  $472,977.97

Contacts

​Larry Scholten, P.E.
Project Engineer
Phone: (360) 778-7923
Public Works Co​ntacts

Participating Departments

Affected Neighborhoods

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