La k e W h a t com M a n a ge m e n t Pr ogr a m
2 0 0 0 - 2 0 0 4 W or k Pla n
Accom plish m e n t s
I n January 2000, Count y Council, Cit y Council, and Wat er Dist rict 10 Com m issioners ( now Lake What com Wat er and Sewer Dist rict ) adopt ed t he Lake What com Reservoir
Managem ent Program 2000- 2004 Work Plan. The five- year w ork plan out lined t asks under t en program areas. Three program areas were ident ified as high priorit y: wat ershed ownership, st orm wat er m anagem ent , and urbanizat ion/ land developm ent . I n addit ion, t hree priorit y wat er qualit y concerns w ere ident ified: nut rient s, fecal coliform bact eria, and ot her pollut ant s ( i.e. pest icides, m et als) .
Over t he past five years, t his work plan guided t he m anagem ent act ivit ies in t he wat ershed. Following is a condensed sum m ary of accom plishm ent s t hrough t his five- year work plan. The sum m ary is organized by Program Area and Task as out lined in t he 2000- 2004 Work Plan. The w ork plan can be found on t he Lake What com Managem ent Program w ebsit e (ht t p: / / www.lakewhat com .wsu.edu/) or at What com Count y Wat er Resources Division ( 676- 6876) . A m ore det ailed sum m ary of work plan accom plishm ent s will be available on t he Lake What com Managem ent Program websit e in Spring 2004.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 1 : W a t e r sh e d Ow n e r sh ip-
Pursue public ow nership and prot ect ion of t he w at ershed w henever possible t hrough
public/ privat e part nerships, t ax exem pt ions, t ransfer of developm ent right s, land t rust s, and ot her m eans.
Task 1
The assessed values of t he wat ershed propert ies acquired t hrough t he Cit y’s Lake What com Wat ershed Propert y Acquisit ion Program were m ult iplied by t heir propert y t ax rat e ( consolidat ed levies) t o det erm ine t he t ax revenue t he propert ies would have provided t he count y in 2003 and 2004.
Task 2
The Cit y purchased an easem ent at t he foot of Alabam a at Elect ric Avenue for a new st orm wat er facilit y. Som e fut ure st orm wat er ret rofit s m ay require an easem ent purchase, but t hose have not yet been ident ified.
Task 3
Est ablished land preservat ion/ acquisit ion crit eria based on recom m endat ions from t he Lake What com Wat ershed Cit izen Task Force. These crit er ia are based on proxim it y t o w at erbodies, slope, current land use, and pot ent ial land use. The Cit y developed overlay land acquisit ion crit eria t hat are considered for land
purchased wit h t he Cit y’s Land Preservat ion Fee. These include proxim it y t o w at er int ake and ot her specific physical feat ures.
Task 4
Com piled inform at ion describing land preservat ion opt ions ( t ools and funding sources) . The Cit y’s Land Preservat ion Fee and t he Count y’s Conservat ion Fut ures Fund are t he prim ary funding sources for im plem ent ing land preservat ion goals. Est ablished t he Wat ershed Advisory Board t o assist wit h t he Cit y’s Land Acquisit ion
Fee Program .
Task 5
Purchased 877 acres of wat ershed land.
Recorded covenant s in Sudden Valley perm anent ly rest rict ing resident ial
developm ent on 198 parcels using j oint agreem ent s bet ween t he Sudden Valley Com m unit y Associat ion, Count y, Dist rict and Cit y.
Exchanged 243 Sudden Valley t ransferable rest rict ive covenant s for 243 perm anent rest rict ive covenant s, t arget ing priorit y parcels for wat er qualit y prot ect ion.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 2 : St or m w a t e r M a n a ge m e n t
Prevent w at er qualit y and quant it y im pact s due t o st orm w at er runoff by im plem ent at ion of best m anagem ent st andards and pract ices, pollut ant sour ce cont r ol, and const ruct ion, m aint enance and ret rofit of st orm w at er facilit ies.
Task 1
Conduct ed st orm wat er syst em invent ories wit hin t he Lake What com wat ershed det ailing t he locat ions of all cat ch basins and culvert s wit hin t he wat ershed. Task 2
Coordinat ed developm ent of pollut ant loading and lake response m odels for t he Lake What com wat ershed t hrough t he WRI A 1 Proj ect and Depart m ent of Ecology TMDL Process.
Task 3
Com plet ed dat a gaps evaluat ions t hrough t he Lake What com St orm wat er Program ( 2000) , t he Wat er Source Prot ect ion Plan ( 2000) , and t he WRI A 1 Proj ect .
Task 4
Priorit ized act ivit ies t hat m ay have adverse im pact s on t he lake’s wat er qualit y t hrough t he Wat er Source Prot ect ion Plan ( 2000) . High priorit ies included resident ial developm ent ( new developm ent and exist ing hom es) , m unicipal/ com m ercial
funct ions ( power t ransm ission and wast ew at er conveyance syst em s) , and t ransport at ion ( im pervious surfaces, aut om obile im pact s) .
Task 5
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 6
The Cit y com plet ed t heir st orm wat er ut ilit y updat e in 2001 t hat ident ified t he com pliance of exist ing laws, regulat ions, and policies wit hin t heir st orm wat er program s.
Task 7
Sum m arized st orm wat er funding m echanism s t hat have been im plem ent ed in sim ilar com m unit ies.
Task 8
Lake What com St orm wat er Progam Early Act ion Proj ect Exam ples:
o Count y Roadside Maint enance Pract ices- The Lake What com wat ershed cont inues ( since 1991) t o be a no spray zone for herbicides ( WCC 12.48) . o Erosion Cont rol Best Managem ent Pract ices- The Count y inst alls erosion and
sedim ent cont rol best m anagem ent pract ices at all road m aint enance proj ect s in t he wat ershed.
o St orm w at er Ret rofit s- The Cit y inst alled st orm w at er t reat m ent vault syst em s and rain gardens at Silver Shores neighborhood, Bloedel Donovan Park, Elect ric Avenue and Alabam a St reet .
o The Count y is adapt ing dit ch m aint enance pract ices t o focus t hese act ivit ies in t he dry season.
o The Cit y sweeps art erials and side st reet s in t he Cit y’s port ion of t he wat ershed t hree t o four t im es a m ont h.
o The Count y will begin sweeping art erials and resident ial roads in t he Count y’s port ion of t he wat ershed t wo t im es per m ont h in spring 2004.
o The Cit y m ows roadside veget at ion t hree t im es per year t o assist wit h dit ch m aint enance.
o The Cit y is earm arking $250,000 per year for st orm wat er ret rofit s. I n 2004, ret rofit s will occur at East Connect icut and Park Place.
o The Cit y uses First Down for ice cont rol. Sand is swept from t he roads wit hin one w eek of t he end of icy condit ions.
Task 9
What com Count y hired a st aff m em ber t o review proj ect proposals for com pliance wit h zoning, land- use, and st orm wat er regulat ions. The posit ion also inspect s
perm it t ed sit es for ongoing com pliance, perform s com m unit y out reach, and funct ions as a represent at ive for t he Planning Division for Lake What com relat ed issues. The Cit y dedicat ed st aff t o provide t echnical assist ance and com pliance of
st orm wat er regulat ions. Task 10
The Cit y obt ained Geographic I nform at ion Syst em ( GI S) dat a from t he Nat ional Soil Conservat ion Service t hat is used t o ident ify ground wat er recharge areas, and in developm ent reviews for st orm wat er m anagem ent .
Task 11
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Ot her Relat ed Program s
What com Count y adopt ed St orm wat er Special Dist rict st andards in 2002 requiring perm anent on- sit e st orm w at er qualit y and quant it y facilit ies for single- fam ily dwelling unit s and duplexes in t he wat ershed.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 3 : Ur ba n iz a t ion / La n d D e ve lopm e n t
Prevent w at er qualit y degradat ion associat ed w it h ur ban developm ent t hr ough zoning changes, developm ent st andards and densit y lim it s.
Tasks 1 & 3
The Cit y adopt ed developm ent regulat ions in 2001, t he "Silver Beach Ordinance", t o lim it im pervious surfaces, ret ain nat ive veget at ion, and est ablish seasonal clear ing rest rict ions in new and redevelopm ent in t he wat ershed.
The Cit y developed, and m ade available t o t he public, an ext ensive list of nat ive plant s for reveget at ion requirem ent s in t he Silver Beach Ordinance.
Task 2
The Count y and Cit y inspect ors coordinat e wit h Depart m ent of Ecology inspect ors t o m onit or t he im plem ent at ion and m aint enance of st orm wat er source cont rol and t reat m ent best m anagem ent pract ices ( BMPs) for perm it t ed clearing and
developm ent sit es.
The Count y and Cit y are reviewing overlapping zoning and land use regulat ions for urban growt h areas for consist ency.
Task 4
What com Count y enhanced land developm ent regulat ions in t he wat ershed t hrough t he Wat er Resources Overlay Dist rict , Wat er Resources Special Managem ent Area, and St orm wat er Special Dist rict requirem ent s. The regulat ions included a decrease in allow able im pervious areas, est ablishm ent of t ree canopy area ret ent ion, and
est ablishm ent of seasonal rest rict ions on clearing act ivit y.
Developed educat ional m at erials t hat describe Count y developm ent regulat ions and perm it review processes in t he wat ershed.
Task 5
Refer t o Com m unit y Out reach Task 9. Task 6
Tracking land developm ent perm it s in t he Cit y and Count y. Task 7
Creat ed an educat ional brochure and Transferable Developm ent Right ( TDR) packet t o assist int erest ed landowners. Conduct ed public forum s and out reach effort s t o educat e developm ent com m unit y about t he TDR program .
Reviewed and enhanced t he Count y’s Transferable Developm ent Right ( TDR) Program by est ablishing receiving areas, t ransfer rat ios and m inor program enhancem ent s t o help facilit at e t he program .
Developed recom m endat ions t o furt her enhance coordinat ion bet ween t he Count y and Cit y.
Est ablished a fram ework for a developm ent right s bank and allow for in lieu paym ent s.
Task 8
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 9
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 10
Assist ed Sudden Valley Com m unit y Association wit h t he densit y reduct ion program t hrough j oint purchase of parcels wit h rest rict ive covenant s.
Task 11
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 12
Updat ing Cit y and Count y Shoreline Managem ent Program s and Crit ical Areas Ordinances.
Ot her Relat ed Proj ect s
The Count y im plem ent ed a rezone in t he Lake What com wat ershed t hat result ed in a reduct ion of approxim at ely 1,400 pot ent ial dwelling unit s wit hin t he wat ershed.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 4 : Com m u n it y Ou t r e a ch
Provide educat ional program s and m at erials t o w at ershed resident s, t he general public and decision m akers on t opics relat ed t o w at er qualit y, source cont r ol, and land use and
developm ent regulat ions.
Tasks 1 & 2
Creat ed t he Lake- Friendly Gardening Kit and Workshop Series t o describe gardening pract ices wit h reduced im pact s t o wat er qualit y.
Creat ed a phosphorus- free fert ilizer blend and educat ional brochure for dist ribut ion at a num ber of gardening supply st ores in t he count y.
Creat ed an I nt egrat ed Pest Managem ent ( I PM) program for crane flies. Task 3
Est ablished t en Mut t Mit t st ations in t he wat ershed wit h approxim at ely 12,000 m it t s dist ribut ed in t he first year of t he program .
Creat ed and dist ribut ed educat ional brochures describing t he im pact s of dog wast e on wat er qualit y.
Task 4
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 5
Rest ruct uring t he Lake What com Managem ent Program websit e t o provide m anagem ent program updat es as well as wat ershed fact s and st ewardship t ips.
Updat ing t he Lake What com Managem ent Program m ailing and e- m ail list s on an as needed basis.
The Lake What com Managem ent Com m it t ee m eet ing on a m ont hly basis. Holding Special Joint Council/ Com m ission m eet ings t wice annually ( March and
Sept em ber) t o provide updat es on Lake What com Managem ent Program act ivit ies and t o discuss coordinat ed proj ect s or program s.
The Cit y publishes a consum er confidence report , called “ Pure Fact s” , annually t hat report s on Bellingham ’s drinking wat er qualit y and ways t o prot ect it .
The Cit y and Black Dog Product ions produce Wat er Whys, a t elevision series t hat focuses on educat ing t he public on a variet y What com Count y wat er issues, including Lake What com .
Task 6
Dist ribut ed Cit y ut ilit y bills wit h wat ershed st ewardship t ips and m essages. Dist ribut ed inform at ion about Lake- Friendly Gardening Kit s and Phosphorus- Free
Fert ilizer in Dist rict ut ilit y bills. Task 7
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 8
Post ed signs indicat ing ent rance int o t he wat ershed on t he m aj or roadways. Post ed educat ional signs for t he Cit y seasonal land clearing rest rict ions in t he
wat ershed.
Post ed wat ershed st ewardship signs developed t hrough t he 5t h Grade Post er Cont est in t he Bloedel Donovan Park bat hroom s.
Task 9
“ Excellence in Wat ershed St ewardship” awards were present ed t o eight wat ershed resident s in 2000 at t he Celebrat e Lake What com event . Aw ards were based on t he following source cont rol elem ent s: pest icide/ fert ilizer use, im pervious surfaces, sit e- appropriat e veget at ion, aut om obiles use and m aint enance, and wast e m anagem ent pract ices.
Task 10
Creat ed a dioram a of t he wat ershed t hat is used for com m unit y event s and educat ional t ours.
Task 11
Cit y provides wat ershed curriculum m at erials for st udent s and t eachers, a fift h grade program on wat ersheds, t ours of t he Cit y’s w at er and w ast ew at er t reat m ent plant s, and wat er qualit y and insect survey t est kit s for st ream ecology educat ion.
Task 12
The Cit y part icipat es in t he Wat ershed Pledge Program by publishing an annual Pledge newslet t er discussing wat ershed issues and m ails Wat ershed Pledge inform at ion t o resident s of Bellingham .
Task 13
Provided educat ional m at erials t o support t he act ions of t he Lake What com Managem ent Com m it t ee.
Task 14
Developed an educat ional display, present at ion and handbook describing t he prot ect ion, enhancem ent , and creat ion of backyard riparian buffers.
Task 15
The Cit y offers st ream kit s for loan t o t eachers and groups int erest ed in learning about st ream ecology.
Ot her Relat ed Act ivit ies
Convert ed t he Lake What com slide show t o video form at , available at all What com Count y libraries.
The Cit y support s a volunt eer program for st orm drain m arking t o increase t he visibilit y of st orm drains.
The Count y, Cit y, and Depart m ent of Ecology part nered t o provide t raining for t he ReSources and People for Lake What com sponsored St orm wat er Wat chers Team .
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 5 : D a t a a n d I n for m a t ion M a n a ge m e n t
Maint ain and enhance dat abases sufficient for det ect ion of w at er qualit y and quant it y t rends, assessm ent of problem s, evaluat ion and select ion of m anagem ent act ions, and m onit oring of act ion effect iveness.
Task 1
Review wat er qualit y dat a t hrough t he Lake What com Dat a Team . Task 2
Updat ed t he Lake What com Dat a Cat alog and library collect ions.
Conduct ed addit ional t ribut ary wat er quant it y and qualit y m onit oring as ident ified t hrough t he Com prehensive St orm wat er Program .
Task 3A
Part nered wit h t he Depart m ent of Ecology and Ut ah St at e Universit y t o collect addit ional t ribut ary dat a ( on a m ont hly basis) and st orm event sam ples in 2003. Task 3B
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 3C
I n part nership wit h t he St at e, conduct ed follow- up st udies on m ercury in fish t issues, wat er, and sedim ent .
Conduct ing a m ercury source invest igat ion t hrough cont ract wit h USGS. This
invest igat ion was coordinat ed wit h t he Depart m ent of Ecology’s Lake What com TMDL st udy.
Conduct ed follow- up wat er qualit y and sedim ent m onit oring of pent achlorophenol at t he Cable St reet st orm drain.
Task 3D
Com piled inform at ion about wat erfowl, im pact s on wat er qualit y, and pot ent ial m anagem ent opt ions.
Task 3E
Conduct ed wat er qualit y sam pling for bact eria at t he Bloedel Donovan swim m ing area.
Task 3F
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 3G
Conduct ed a series of invest igat ions on t he Y- Road landfill. Task 3H
Com pared wat er qualit y bet ween t he Cit y and Dist rict int akes. Ot her Relat ed Program s
The Cit y cont inues t o cont ract wit h West ern Washingt on Universit y for annual wat er qualit y m onit oring.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 6 : Spill Re spon se a n d H a z a r dou s M a t e r ia ls
Prevent w at er qualit y degradat ion due t o hazardous m at erials spills t hrough spill prevent ion and response program s, and cont inual im provem ent of com m unicat ion net w or k t o handle spill response.
Task 1
I nvent oried spill response equipm ent , rest ocked fire dist rict supplies and creat ed a surplus supply at Bloedel Donovan.
A spill incident form was creat ed t o assist wit h t racking incident s and response equipm ent use in t he w at ershed.
Task 2
Developed a sum m ary and m ap illust rat ing t he locat ion of spill incident s in 1998 and 1999.
Creat ed a spill incident form t o assist wit h t racking incident s and response equipm ent use in t he w at ershed.
Task 3
Com piled inform at ion regarding pest icide rest rict ions in ot her com m unit ies. Task 4
I nvest igat ed pot ent ial opt ions for rest rict ing t he t ransport of hazardous m at erials wit hin t he wat ershed.
Task 5
Evaluat ed issues relat ed t o underground st orage t anks and opt ions for assist ing wat ershed resident s.
Task 6
Enhanced public not ificat ion of spills t hrough an aut om at ic dialer syst em . Task 7
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 8
Conduct ed a spill response t ablet op exercise. Task 9
Developed inform at ion regarding spill response and prevent ion for t he websit e and boat er’s handbook.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 7 : For e st r y/ Fish / W ildlife
Develop and m aint ain a com pr ehensive w at ershed forest m anagem ent plan t hat m inim izes im pact s t o w at er qualit y, and prom ot es act ions and program s t hat prot ect and enhance fish and w ildlife habit at .
Task 1
Received recom m endat ions from t he Forestry Forum regarding t he Depart m ent of Nat ural Resources ( DNR) Landscape Plan Draft Environm ent al I m pact St at em ent ( DEI S) .
Task 2
The Count y invent oried approxim at ely 30 culvert s in t he Lake What com wat ershed. Barriers t o fish passage have been correct ed in five wat ershed culvert s.
Com piled Lake What com fishery report s generat ed by Washingt on St at e Depart m ent of Fish and Wildlife ( WDFW) .
Task 3
The Cit y is developing a Habit at Conservat ion Plan ( HCP) for t he wat er supply syst em including Lake What com in response t o Endangered Species Act list ings and inform ed by salm on recovery goals.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 8 : Tr a n spor t a t ion
Design and develop t ransport at ion syst em s t hat : include alt ernat ives t o aut om obiles, locat e
“ t hr ough” rout es aw ay fr om t he lakeshore, ensure t reat m ent of runoff before ent ering t he lake and ot herw ise prot ect s w at er qualit y.
Task 1
I dent ified several proj ect s t hat would open new rout es for t raffic now using lakeshore rout es t hrough t he Bellingham Com prehensive Transport at ion Plan updat e draft . The Count y is using best available science for drainage and st orm wat er m anagem ent
associat ed wit h road proj ect s t o reduce im pact s t o wat er qualit y.
The Count y is encouraging alt ernat ive t ransport at ion by providing im proved bike lanes and sidewalks t hrough road proj ect s. Count y Public Works coordinat es wit h t he Count y Bicycle Advisory Com m it t ee for input on t hese im provem ent s.
Task 2
This t ask has not been im plem ent ed. Task 3
Creat ed an art icle for t he Wat er Whys newslet t er and websit e describing wat er qualit y im pact s associat ed wit h m ot orized vehicles and source cont rol act ivit ies t o reduce im pact s.
Task 4
The Cit y adopt ed road st andards specific t o t he wat ershed t o reduce pavem ent and provide st orm w at er t reat m ent .
The Count y considers t he Cit y’s road st andards for subdivisions in t he wat ersheds and applies t hese st andards where feasible.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 9 : Re cr e a t ion
Prom ot e recreat ional opport unit ies t hat do not degrade w at er qualit y, and im prove on w ays t o reduce im pact s of exist ing act ivit ies.
Task 1
Received recom m endat ions from t he Mot orized Wat ercraft Advisory Com m it t ee regarding boat ing on Lake What com .
Task 2
Park Mast er Plans for t he Cit y and Count y are being updat ed and will address park use wit hin t he wat ershed.
Task 3
Creat ed a quick t ips fact sheet describing boat ing st ewardship in t erm s of wat er qualit y prot ect ion and safet y.
Creat ed and dist ribut ed a boat ing kit and boating handbook t o help boat ers find ways t o reduce im pact s on t he lake syst em . The handbook describes t he pot ent ial im pact s of boat ing on t he lake syst em and st eps individuals can t ake t o prot ect t he lake.
Pr ogr a m Ar e a 1 0 : Ut ilit ie s a n d W a st e M a n a ge m e n t
Prom ot e conservat ion of w at er resources and provision of cit y sew er t o areas w it h on- sit e t reat m ent .
Task 1
Conduct ed a pilot wat er- m et ering proj ect . Task 2
Com plet ed a feasibilit y st udy on rainwat er collect ion syst em s and offered a rain barrel progr am t o Cit y and Count y resident s.
Task 3
Applied for a Cent ennial Grant t o design and inst all a dem onst rat ion garden. Task 4
Task 5
Public service announcem ent s on wat er conservat ion are current ly running on t he public access channel.
Task 6 Task 7
Com piled inform at ion about local and regional wat erwise dem onst rat ion gardens. Developing descript ions and locat ions for websit e.
Ot her Relat ed Program s
The Dist rict com plet ed t he Lake Louise I nt ercept or Line t hat added capacit y and flexibilit y t o t he Dist rict ’s Sew er Syst em . During t his last year’s rainy season t he Dist rict did not experience any overflows due t o t he high rain falls event s. This was due t o t he increased capacit y and abilit y t o direct t he flows t o t he new Lake Louise int ercept or line.
The Dist rict com plet ed Lakewood Lane and Grand Avenue Sewer Ext ension Proj ect s. These proj ect s are part of t he Dist rict ’s ongoing phase out of sept ic syst em s, wit h cost sharing of const ruct ion wit h landowners.
The Dist rict cont inued ongoing program for t he rem oval of sept ic syst em s wit hin Sudden Valley.
The Dist rict is locat ing, analyzing, priorit izing, excavat ing and repairing inflow and infilt rat ion ( I & I ) needs w it hin t he sew er syst em . Target ed Nort h Point area of Sudden Valley for a sliplining proj ect in sum m er of 2004.
