Land-disturbing work in Whatcom County needs erosion and sediment control. Grading permits carry an erosion plan, and clearing near marine bluffs or in the Lake Whatcom watershed faces seasonal limits and critical-areas review under WCC 16.16.
Whatcom County requires erosion and sediment control on construction and land-clearing sites to keep soil out of the Nooksack River, Bellingham Bay, and Lake Whatcom. The Critical Areas Ordinance, WCC 16.16, designates geologically hazardous areas, including the eroding marine bluffs along the Salish Sea, and requires geotechnical review before ground disturbance. Standard measures are silt fence, straw wattles, erosion blankets, and stabilized entrances, with disturbed ground stabilized promptly. In the Lake Whatcom watershed, ground-disturbing work is generally confined to the drier June-through-September window, and all exposed soil must be covered by October 1 before fall rains begin. Sites over one acre also fall under Ecology's construction stormwater permit.
Missing erosion controls bring a stop-work order and fines. Sediment washed into the Nooksack, Bellingham Bay, or Lake Whatcom can trigger state water-quality penalties of thousands of dollars per day.
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Whatcom County, WA
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See how Whatcom County's erosion control rules stack up against other locations.
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