Reports of nails deliberately being put on Lake Whatcom beach have not been confirmed
Though it continues to investigate, the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department says it is unable to confirm social media reports about nails deliberately being put in a sandy beach on a Lake Whatcom.
Swimmers in Lake Whatcom should be cautious, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Director Michael McFarlane told The Bellingham Herald, but no more cautious than usual, as nails have likely been in the lake for years.
The reports of nails began to circulate on social media last week, when a picture of post made in the private group Real Moms of Ferndale showed a picture of a basket of nails that the post said were collected on a sandy beach along Lake Whatcom.
The post included a second picture of a handwritten sign taped on a permanent sign that read, “Someone dumped hundreds of rusty nails on the beach — we picked up as many as we could find but beware there are more hidden!”
The post also speculated that the nails had been put on the beach as a way to deter people from going to the lake in large numbers on hot days and violate social distancing rules.
McFarlane said the parks department has reached out to the authors of the posts about the nails to see if they can determine exactly where the reported hazards were found.
“Most of what we’re getting is hearsay and second- or third-hand,” McFarlane said. “We’ve tried to track down the person who found the nails to get more information, but haven’t had much luck. ... We haven’t gotten any first-hand knowledge.”
From the best the parks department can tell, McFarlane said the sign about the nails was posted on the extreme southern end of the lake near where the creek from Mirror Lake spills into Lake Whatcom along South Bay Drive.
There used to be an old wharf in the area, McFarlane said, and the nails, which appeared to be quite old and corroded, may have been from that.
“There is no designated swim beach there, and it gets fairly deep quickly,” McFarlane said, adding that there are also logs and brush to be careful of in the area as well.
Spokesperson Deb Slater said the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has not received any reports of nails being found on any Lake Whatcom beaches, as of Thursday, July 30.
A Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department Facebook post Friday, July 31, proclaimed “all is clear” at the swim area at Bloedel-Donovan Park after city staff checked the area where a number of people have been seen in an out of the water during the recent warm days.
“Reports yesterday of nails dumped at a Lake Whatcom beach were traced to a county beach access in South Lake Whatcom,” the post read. “It appears a bucket of old nails and screws were dumped. A kind neighbor used a metal detector to retrieve all that could be found. ... Be safe out there!”
