Have you seen water rising in Whatcom Creek? Here’s why
You may have seen higher water levels in Whatcom Creek in the last few weeks. That’s because the city of Bellingham makes room for winter stormwater runoff in Lake Whatcom by opening water gates and letting the lake naturally flow into Whatcom Creek and out into Bellingham Bay.
Because the lake flows into the creek, the creek’s water level is higher in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer.
The gates are opened in the middle of September and remain open until the lake is lowered by three feet, from 314.5 feet above sea level to 311.5. The process is gradual and usually takes about a month and a half, with the lake being at the desired level around Halloween. As of Sept. 23, the lake was measured at 312.85 feet.
While a three-foot change may not sound like much at first, it is important to remember just how large the lake is, with about 5,000 acres of surface area. The lake also provides drinking water to about 100,000 people, just under half the county.
Bellingham Public Works officials told The Bellingham Herald they started lowering the lake this year on Sept. 15 by opening one of the four gates used to control the water flow. They will continue to monitor the water levels and flows and open the gate wider, or open the other gates accordingly.
While the gates can be raised completely out of the water, the city tries to avoid a large water flow in Whatcom Creek. However, the gates have been pulled completely out of the water before, to avoid the lake filling above 314.94 feet, the point at which the city is required to lower the lake by a Whatcom County Superior Court order from 1953. According to The Bellingham Herald archives, this order was created to avoid damage to waterfront property.
“At times of heavy sustained rains, the level can rise quite rapidly and can take weeks to come back down to winter levels,” public works staff said via email.
The city starts filling the lake back up in February, closing the gates and letting the water level rise to 314.5 feet. The water is raised during the summer so there is plenty of drinking water for the warmer months. Water consumption during the winter is about 7.2-7.4 million gallons a day. Summer consumption rises to 10.5-11.5 million gallons per day.
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