Photo of Lake Whatcom by Caden Seyler

Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits

Project Overview: Phase 1

This project will help protect and improve water quality in Lake Whatcom by reducing pollution impacts from existing infrastructure and development. This will be done by retrofitting three existing stormwater treatment facilities to reduce the amount of phosphorus and bacteria entering Lake Whatcom, Bellingham’s drinking water source. Between the three facilities, this project is expected to treat polluted runoff (stormwater) from 60 acres of residential development, removing approximately 17 pounds of phosphorus from the watershed each year.

Map showing where three stormwater facilities will be retrofitted along Lake Whatcom - one on Connecticut Street, one on Poplar Drive, and one on Academy Street.
Three existing stormwater treatment facilities will be retrofitted as part of Phase 1 – one on Connecticut Street, one on Poplar Drive, and one on Academy Street.

This project is one of several planned retrofits to stormwater facilities in the Lake Whatcom watershed that aim to help Bellingham meet its Lake Whatcom TMDL phosphorus reduction targets. See Phase 2 under More Information below.

Project Status – Summer 2024

The engineering design contract was awarded to Herrera. Project design kicked off in mid-July 2024. Construction is expected in summer 2025.

Anticipated Construction Impacts

Limited construction impacts are expected for this project since the vault facilities are located off of roadways. More information will be provided once designs are finalized.

More Information

This project is one of many City efforts to address water quality concerns in the drinking water source for more than 100,000 Whatcom County residents. Lake Whatcom has been listed as a polluted body of water by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) since 1998 because it does not meet water quality standards for dissolved oxygen due to high amounts of phosphorus entering the lake.

Excess phosphorus levels can lead to large algal blooms that cloud water and block out sunlight for other plants. When algae die, bacteria feed on the decomposing algae and consume the oxygen in the water, depleting dissolved oxygen that is necessary for plants, fish and other aquatic creatures to survive.

The City and Whatcom County are working to reduce phosphorus levels in response to federal Clean Water Act requirements and the state Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process. The Environmental Protection Agency approved a mandatory water quality improvement plan (Lake Whatcom TMDL) in 2016. The plan sets the phosphorus reduction target needed to meet water quality standards. This project is an important part of meeting the target.

This project would retrofit existing stormwater facilities to improve phosphorus removal and reduce pollution in Lake Whatcom. Learn more:

  • July 2024 – Project design begins. Engineering design contract was awarded to Herrera.
  • August 2024 – Site assessments and Alternatives Analysis.
  • Spring 2025 – Construction contract expected to be awarded.
  • Summer 2025 – Construction expected to begin.
  • 2025 – In Phase 2 of this project, two more vaults along Lake Whatcom will be assessed and retrofits will be designed sometime in 2025.

The project was awarded a grant by the Department of Ecology (DOE). The project design and construction phases are funded with State funds (75%) and local funds (25%) through this DOE grant which expires June 30, 2027.

In 2025, two more vaults along Lake Whatcom will be assessed, and retrofits designed with the same goal as Phase 1. The City has received another Department of Ecology grant to support this effort.

Contact

Jessica J. Bennett, PE
Phone: (360) 778-7923
Email: jjbennett@cob.org

Media requests: Email pwmedia@cob.org

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Affected Neighborhoods

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