367:, with one large park and several small parks. Basin 2, the Geneva Basin, is the central basin where the drinking water for the city of Bellingham is withdrawn. This basin is the shallowest, with a maximum depth of just 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 m). Land use is primarily residential, with a mix of lake protection program properties and some rural forestry. Basin 3 is the southernmost basin and is the most remote. At its greatest depth, Basin 3 is 328 feet (100 m) deep, and is estimated to contain 96% of the lake's total water volume. Land use in Basin 3 is composed of scattered residential development, mostly in the community of
489:, such as water runoff from storms in parks and lands surrounding the lake. A small portion is attributed to lawns, gardens, and streets containing some phosphorus. Aging septic systems serving development in the watershed possibly could leach phosphorus into the water body. In 2005 fertilizers containing phosphorus were banned to try to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the lake. The city of Bellingham and Whatcom County have also restricted development activities such as land clearing, from October 1 through May 31 annually to prevent runoff from exposed soil during high precipitation months.
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529:), much colder and isolated from the rest of the water body. Minimal oxygen from the air diffuses down to the hypolimnion, causing very low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. This combined with sediment oxidation, cause for near or complete anoxic conditions in the deeper levels of the lake. This stratification is more pronounced in Basin 3 where water is deepest. This layering of the lake, as well as the distinct physical barriers (sills) between basins cause for slow movement of water through the lake. (Ecology TMDL, 2008)
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470:'s 303(d) list for impaired water bodies in 1998, due to low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, which are directly related to the amount of phosphorus Lake Whatcom receives. Low DO levels do not directly affect drinking water quality. As required by the 303(d) listing, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) created a computer model to find the
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A 2010–2014 management program work plan for Lake
Whatcom was approved by the councils of the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District (formerly Water District 10.) Annual analysis and progress reports are prepared to support of the five year management program.
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as well as
Whatcom County. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) in length and 1 mile (1.6 km) in width at its widest. Lake Whatcom is located and managed within three political jurisdictions: the city of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District. The lake is
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is the slow sloshing of water from one side of the lake to the other, due to winds in Lake
Whatcom’s case. Winds will push water to one side of the lake, causing water levels to rise on one end and lower on the other. When the wind stops, the water rebounds back and forth until it is settled again.
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tribe. In the 1850s came the first known settlement of
Westerners on Lake Whatcom. The first claim of private land was reported for $ 8. Most of the area surrounding the lake was extensively logged by the end of the 19th century. Large coal mining operations also existed near the lake from the late
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Currently, based on the city of
Bellingham’s 2007 guide to Lake Whatcom, the Lake Whatcom watershed is zoned for residential use, private commercial forest use, public land, urban growth area, and watershed protected properties, along with non-residential reconveyance areas. There are 31,127 total
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As a drinking water source, Lake
Whatcom Reservoir's quality is in compliance for all tested chemicals, bacteria and turbidity. Bellingham is a participant in the Partnership for Safe Water, and the City’s drinking water also meets the higher standards set by this group. For the past 10 years the
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Lake
Whatcom is a reservoir of drinking water for the city of Bellingham, and its level is actively managed by control gates. The city manages the outflow to control the maximum level, to store the inflow, to provide for drinking water demand, and to keep the flow in the creek adequate for the
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there are currently 6,877 dwelling units in the
Whatcom County watershed with appropriate assessor's residential land use codes, and improvement values of greater than 10,000 dollars. Of these units, 1,595 are zoned within the city of Bellingham, 1,551 are zoned within the
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acres in the Lake
Whatcom watershed. Of these, 4,007 are developed, 5,552 are zoned for development but are currently undeveloped, and 2,519 are protected under conservation easement, as a result of land use acquisition by the city of Bellingham and private individuals.
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19th century through 1919, when the
Whatcom Mining Company closed down. In 1946 J.H. Bloedel donated 12.5 acres to the city for what would eventually become Bloedel Donovan Park. In 1962 water was diverted from the Middle Fork of the
660:, 2,566 are zoned in the Sudden Valley neighborhood, and 1,165 are zoned as rural. There are 1,811 existing vacant lots with improvement values of greater than $ 10,000 and an estimated 8,688 total units with build-out potential.
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Major outputs of lake water are Whatcom Creek (77.5% of outflow), City of Bellingham intake (11.3%), evaporation (7.9%) and hatchery (2.5%). The estimated residence time of water entering the lake until it leaves is 7.4 years.
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lake. The water body is stratified for part of the year (late spring through mid-fall) and mixed during the rest. This phenomenon is important to the hydrology of the lake. The top layer of water (
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This up and down movement of the water causes the thermocline to rise and fall as well, which can result in the cold, anoxic water from Basin 3, to spill over the Strawberry Sill into Basin 2.
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The lake is divided into three basins. Basin 1, the Silver Beach Basin, is the furthest north, and has a maximum depth of 100 feet (30 m). Land use in Basin 1 is primarily
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City of Bellingham Public Works has received the Partnership for Safe Water’s Director Award for commitment to providing safe drinking water.
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is the only species on Washington's list of 50 unwanted species (13 of which are freshwater) that is known to exist in Lake Whatcom.
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568:(VHS). Currently, none of the fifteen species identified by the state of Washington as "most unwanted" are found in the lake.
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village at the south end of the lake, occupied by the Saquantch tribe. Around 1800 the Saquantch were pushed out by the
632:. The Department of Health has consumption advisories for smallmouth bass and yellow perch, which can be found at the
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that flow into Lake Whatcom, accounting for 23 sub-watersheds in all. Lake Whatcom drains into
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Another important hydrological phenomenon on Lake Whatcom is the occurrence of seiches. A
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a popular area for motor boating, swimming, fishing, and other recreational activities.
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levels. In 2008 the DOE estimated that in order to achieve acceptable levels of DO,
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The lake has only one island, the 3-acre (12,000 m) Reveille Island, owned by
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Lake Whatcom is home to 13 species of fish. Among these are six native species:
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There are nine annual streams and approximately 25 additional small creeks and
371:, as well as rural and commercial forestry. The total area of the Lake Whatcom
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An Historical Geography of the Settlement Around Lake Whatcom Prior to 1920
604:. Three species have been introduced to the lake by fisheries authorities:
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807:. Lake Whatcom Reservoir Interjurisdictional Coordinating Team. July 2010
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474:(TMDL) of phosphorus the lake can receive while maintaining adequate
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937:. Institute for Freshwater Studies, Bellingham, Washington, 1973.
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Aerial view of the lake, showing density of homes along the shore
848:"Institute for Watershed Studies, Western Washington University"
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694:"The Dam of the Lake Whatcom Reservoir; Whatcom County, WA"
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907:"A City of Bellingham Guide to the Lake Whatcom Watershed"
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Citizen site on Protection of Lake Whatcom - (not active)
397:, which is believed to be the site of past ceremonies by
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source for approximately 85,000 residents in the city of
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Dock at Lake Whatcom, c.1892, U.Wash Digital Collections
802:"Lake Whatcom Management Program: 2010–2014 Work Plan"
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46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
336:view from a home in the Sudden Valley neighborhood
883:"Lake Whatcom Watershed Annual Build-Out Report"
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616:. Four species have been illegally introduced:
485:Most of the phosphorus enters the lake through
375:is 142 square kilometers (55 sq mi).
653:Lake Whatcom Watershed Annual Build-Out Report
983:Protected areas of Whatcom County, Washington
827:"Resources - Lake Whatcom Management Program"
552:of particular threat to Lake Whatcom include
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517:) is warmed by the sun and sits atop the
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
888:. City of Bellingham Planning Department
482:need to be returned to pre-1988 levels.
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442:The control dam gates at the head of
347:word for "loud water") is located in
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715:"Lake Whatcom Reservoir Water Level"
417:The earliest known settlement was a
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44:adding citations to reliable sources
978:Lakes of Whatcom County, Washington
500:View of Lake Whatcom from south end
584:(non-anadromous form of Sockeye),
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973:Reservoirs in Washington (state)
409:stone bowl found on the island.
269:145 km (56 sq mi)
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948:Lake Whatcom Management Program
639:Lake Whatcom watershed land use
468:Environmental Protection Agency
466:Lake Whatcom was placed on the
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31:needs additional citations for
161:Show map of Washington (state)
1:
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191:Show map of the United States
758:"Lake Whatcom Water Quality"
566:viral hemorrhagic septicemia
744:September 24, 2010, at the
480:impervious/run off surfaces
454:threatened Chinook salmon.
351:, United States. It is the
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349:Whatcom County, Washington
205:Whatcom County, Washington
788:October 27, 2010, at the
401:, due to the presence of
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602:three-spined stickleback
472:Total Maximum Daily Load
300:350 ft (110 m)
586:coastal cutthroat trout
365:residential development
308:314 ft (96 m)
292:13 mi (21 km)
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570:Eurasian water milfoil
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419:Northwest Coast Salish
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234:48.73306°N 122.32806°W
783:2009-07-01-natl-award
658:urban growth boundary
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558:New Zealand mud snail
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912:. City of Bellingham
239:48.73306; -122.32806
40:improve this article
933:Moore, F. Stanley,
322:1 (Reveille Island)
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719:City of Bellingham
651:Based on the 2014
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29:This article
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914:. Retrieved
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630:yellow perch
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554:zebra mussel
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395:Camp Firwood
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341:Lake Whatcom
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185:Lake Whatcom
155:Lake Whatcom
121:Lake Whatcom
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96:October 2012
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83:
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62:
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38:Please help
33:verification
30:
724:15 November
634:DOH website
626:pumpkinseed
527:hypolimnion
523:thermocline
519:metalimnion
403:pictographs
380:tributaries
334:golden hour
289:Max. length
237: /
225:122°19′41″W
212:Coordinates
967:Categories
928:References
916:2017-10-02
892:2017-10-02
680:Moore, p.4
562:Asian carp
515:epilimnion
511:monomictic
407:zoomorphic
386:by way of
357:Bellingham
343:(from the
297:Max. depth
222:48°43′59″N
66:newspapers
505:Hydrology
462:Pollution
446:, within
434:Reservoir
373:Watershed
858:23 March
832:23 March
811:23 March
786:Archived
768:23 March
742:Archived
699:23 March
606:bluegill
521:(also a
201:Location
598:sculpin
318:Islands
80:scholar
612:, and
564:, and
534:seiche
405:and a
82:
75:
68:
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910:(PDF)
886:(PDF)
805:(PDF)
668:Notes
423:Lummi
345:Lummi
275:Basin
87:JSTOR
73:books
860:2014
834:2014
813:2014
770:2014
726:2020
701:2014
628:and
600:and
576:Fish
59:news
872:WSU
42:by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
