Silver Beach landscaping effects Lake Whatcom pollution and restoration

Residential development and landscaping increases storm-water run-off and pollutes Lake Whatcom.
Lake Whatcom continues to be polluted by storm-water run-off despite more than a decade of federal and state attention, proving that government action cannot reverse water pollution without citizen aid.
Bellingham Environmental Resource Manager Clare Fogelsong said that the biggest challenge the city faces in the restoration of Lake Whatcom is “getting people to understand that they’re all part of the solution.”
“It’s been hard [to get people to look at Lake Whatcom water quality] proactively and to get people to take a serious look at the threats we have,” Fogelsong said. “People are really good at responding if something’s imminent in their face and the further it gets from their present reality the less talented they are at responding proactively.”
Fogelsong said watershed landowners will make the biggest impact by taking measures to eliminate phosphorus pollution on their properties.

Fogelsong said people should stop using fertilizers or car-washing soaps and detergents that contain phosphorus so it doesn’t run-off into the lake. Animal waste and yard waste, including grass clippings, also have high phosphorus content and should be properly disposed of and/or contained in a compost bin Fogelsong said.
“Everything people do makes a difference…I don’t think [watershed landowners] realize that every little thing they do on their property effects the lake,” Fogelsong said.
Whatcom County depends on Lake Whatcom for healthy drinking water
More than 95,000 people in Whatcom County depend on Lake Whatcom as a fresh water source. The health and amount of money it costs to purify the lake water is dependent upon the cleanliness and amount of storm-water run-off into the lake from the roofs, driveways, and yards of watershed landowners.
“[Grass lawns are] partially impervious, some water [seeps through the soil] but there is still a lot of run-off…we want to slow that water down when we get those rainy Washington days,” Bellingham Environmental Planner Kim Weil said.
Weil said Silver Beach residents will have a positive impact on the lake by minimizing their lawns, planting native plant species, using mulch, installing a rain garden or using rain barrels.
Increasing permeability reduces storm-water run-off
When the land surrounding a lake is covered by forest the ground acts like a sponge and natural filtration system. Its' elaborate network of plants and fungi capture and retain 90 percent of the rain water before it is introduced to the water basin.
According to the Federal Stream Restoration Group, natural watershed ground-cover produces 10 percent storm-water run-off compared to 30 percent run-off in a slightly developed watershed and 55 percent run-off in a largely developed, impermeable watershed.
“Every property [in Silver Beach] should try to be more like a forest, capturing water [before it can run off into the lake] and putting it back into the ground over time,” said Bellingham Water Quality Engineer Steve Hood.
Hood said that impermeable or partially impermeable surfaces prevent soil from absorbing rain water, resulting in run-off that delivers contaminants directly into to Lake Whatcom.

Sword Fern is a native plant.