Bellingham buys land near Lake Whatcom for nearly $2 million. This is why
The city of Bellingham bought more than 100 acres of land around Lake Whatcom late last month, part of the city’s ongoing effort to protect its drinking water supply.
City Council members voted unanimously Oct. 30 to buy four sites at the south end of the lake, which supplies drinking water from more than 100,000 Whatcom County residents.
In all, the city bought 113.6 acres for a combined $1.715 million from Timberline Logging, Nielsen Brothers Inc., and Robert and Lonnie Nielsen, said Stefanie Cilinceon, spokeswoman for the Public Works Department
“All of these properties are undeveloped forestland. There are no plans to develop parks or trails on these properties at this time,” Cilinceon told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Those sites had seven potential development units on Blue Canyon Road, South Bay Drive and Camp 2 Road, she said.
Funds for buying land in the Lake Whatcom watershed come from a surcharge that the city’s water customers pay.
In all, the city has bought more than 2,600 acres of land in the watershed since the program began in 2001, according to the city’s website.
“By purchasing this land and protecting it from development, we can preserve the land in its natural forested condition to help improve water quality and reduce flooding risks in Lake Whatcom,” Cilinceon said.
