New development in Whatcom County must control runoff on site under the Western Washington stormwater standards. Rules tighten sharply inside the Lake Whatcom watershed, where stormwater is the main source of the phosphorus fouling Bellingham's drinking-water reservoir.
Whatcom County applies the Department of Ecology's Western Washington stormwater standards, and sites clearing one acre or more need Ecology's Construction Stormwater General Permit. Runoff reaches the Nooksack River, Bellingham Bay, and Lake Whatcom, the reservoir supplying most of the county's drinking water. Inside the Lake Whatcom Watershed Overlay District (WCC 20.51), thresholds drop hard: a permanent stormwater quantity and quality facility is triggered by land disturbance over 5,000 square feet or creating more than 200 square feet of hard surface. Phosphorus is the target pollutant under Ecology's Lake Whatcom TMDL, so phosphorus lawn fertilizer is barred and low-impact designs like rain gardens are pushed.
Clearing an acre without the state permit, or discharging sediment or pollutants to ditches, streams, or the lake, draws Ecology enforcement, stop-work orders, and daily penalties.
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Whatcom County, WA
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See how Whatcom County's stormwater management rules stack up against other locations.
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