Project Benefits

• Improve water quality entering Lake Whatcom
• Reducing heavy metals
• Reducing fecal coliform bacteria
• Reducing total suspended solids
• Reducing phosphorous loading of the lake

Lake Whatcom supplies drinking water to approximately 100,000 residents in the Bellingham area.  Elevated levels of phosphorus have caused Lake Whatcom to be placed on Washington State's 303(d) listing as an impaired water body.  This project will treat stormwater runoff to reduce phosphorus loading to Lake Whatcom.  The planned improvements focus on runoff from developed residential areas in the Lake Whatcom watershed.  The treatment facilities will be constructed on Sudden Valley Community Association (SVCA) property with appropriate easements. These improvements are planned primarily for stormwater flows that are currently conveyed to the lake with little or no treatment for particulate or dissolved nutrients. In addition to phosphorus removal, the 2022 Sudden Valley Stormwater Improvements project will provide additional environmental benefits.  Although the benefits have not been quantified, the new treatment facilities will also remove heavy metals, fecal coliform bacteria, and total suspended solids.  Habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms in the lake will be improved by the reduction of all of these water quality parameters.