Bellingham buys more land to protect Lake Whatcom water quality
Bellingham is planning to buy more than 13 acres on three parcels of undeveloped land in the Lake Whatcom watershed, part of a program to protect the drinking water source for nearly half of Whatcom County.
City Council members unanimously approved a deal for the three sites, encompassing a combined 13.43 acres, for a total of $463,500 on Monday.
Money for the purchase comes from a fund that water customers pay into.
Closing date for the properties is March 31:
▪ A .14-acre site in the city’s Silver Beach neighborhood, with one potential housing unit.
▪ A .85-acre site along the south shore of Lake Whatcom,with one potential housing unit.
▪ A 12.44-acre site east of Y Road in the hills above North Shore Drive, with one potential housing unit.
More than 2,400 acres in the watershed have been bought by the city at a cost of about $35.5 million through June 2022.
An additional 164 acres is protected through conservation easements or restrictive covenants.
Lake Whatcom encompasses about 56 square miles and provides water for about 100,000 people, according to the city.
About 18,000 people live in the Lake Whatcom watershed, according to a 2018 estimate.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
