Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commission to meet March 29

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2022 Lake Whatcom Management Program Progress Report

Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commissioners to hear lake status reports

Lake Whatcom condition, improvement efforts focus of March 29 meeting

March 16, 2023 - by Mark Gardner, Legislative Analyst

The Lake Whatcom Management Program (LWMP) will host its annual Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commissioners meeting at 6:30 PM Wednesday, March 29. The meeting will be in-person with an on-line option via Zoom. Members of the Bellingham City Council, Whatcom County Council and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District Board of Commissioners will be in attendance. The meeting is open to the public and aired live on BTV. A public comment period is scheduled for this meeting, and members of the public will be given two minutes to speak.

Participants and the public will hear a report on the environmental health of the lake and staff will present LWMP program accomplishments in 2022 and plans for 2023. Topics include:

· WWU Institute for Watershed Studies Lake Whatcom Water Monitoring Program Annual Report

· Progress on meeting phosphorus reduction goals

· Overview of capital investments in stormwater management

· Review of activities in the Homeowner Incentive Program

· Overview of current actions and future plans to meet climate goals

“Rooted in science, data and monitoring, the Lake Whatcom Management Program brings us all together to help restore, protect and preserve Lake Whatcom, while reducing the impacts that development, forest management, and recreation have on Bellingham’s drinking water source,”

said County Councilmember Kaylee Galloway, Chair of the County’s Natural Resources Committee.

Hannah Stone, chair of the City Council’s Public Works and Natural Resources Committee, added that, “Together we have developed clear policy direction and budget commitments to meet the Department of Ecology’s requirements for reduced phosphorus flows into the lake. This collective work has built a firm foundation for continuing water quality improvements.”

Additional meeting resources including the Lake Whatcom Management Program 2020-2024 Work Plan, the 2022 Lake Whatcom Management Program Progress Report, the Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 2021/2022 Report and other documents can be found at: www.lakewhatcom.whatcomcounty.org/news.

Detailed information can be found five days prior to the meeting at www.cob.org/meetings

Members of the public can attend via the following link: https://cob.org/lwmeeting

Webinar ID: 832 2203 9303

Webinar passcode: 9

Telephone: Dial 1 253 215 8782