Photo by K. Moran, 2014

Lake Whatcom is a vital resource, providing drinking water, recreation and wildlife habitat to our community. The City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District formed the Lake Whatcom Management Program in 1998 to coordinate programs and projects that restore, protect and preserve Lake Whatcom and its surrounding watershed. 

Photo by T. Ward, 2015

Our Progress

Learn more about program goals and actions. Track our progress.

Photo by G. Mednick, 2019

Get Involved

Learn more about actions you can take to help prevent pollution and protect Lake Whatcom.

Photo by City of Bellingham, 2018

What's New

Learn more about Lake Whatcom Management Program news, meetings, and events.

Special City Council Meeting: Annual Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commissioners Meeting

Mar 27 (Wednesday) , 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

This is the annual joint legislative meeting of the Lake Whatcom Management Program and will include the Bellingham City Council, the Whatcom County Council, and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District Board of Commissioners. At the meeting staff will review Lake Whatcom Program activities completed in 2023 and underway in 2024 to reduce phosphorus and other threats to Lake Whatcom. Participants will also be briefed on the results of the Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project Report from the Institute for Watershed Studies at Western Washington University.

Council members will participate in this meeting in-person in City Council Chambers, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, or remotely through the Zoom platform. Members of the public may come to the meeting in person or watch remotely at this link. Council meetings are streamed live via the City’s website at meetings.cob.org and on the City’s YouTube channel. Meetings are broadcast in high definition on BTV on Comcast channel 321, and in standard definition on Comcast channel 10. Detailed information can be found five days prior to the meeting at www.cob.org/meetings

Read the full press release and access the agenda at Lake Whatcom Management Program - 2024 JCC Meeting Resources

2023 Whatcom Boat Inspections Data is live!

The following maps highlight some of the data collected by Whatcom boat inspectors in 2023. Learn about infested water bodies, where boats visit from, how many decontaminations our staff performed and more! Visit https://cob.org/whatcomboatinspections. 

2024 AIS Boating Permits are Now Available!

Our 2024 permits are now in stock and ready for purchase. The Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish boat launches will officially open on April 27. Be prepared and purchase your 2024 boating permit today!

Don't forget to take the AIS Awareness Course to earn your "AIS Awareness Course Certificate" and a $10 online discount code for your 2024 permit purchase.  

Posted January 30th 2024

January Lake Whatcom Lowdown Now Available

Check out the January Issue of the Lake Whatcom Lowdown, our quarterly e-newsletter with watershed updates and stewardship opportunities. This latest issue provides information on private property improvement programs, the 2024 boating season, our local native plant sale, how to report pollution and more.  Click here to subscribe! Links to past issues are available in our Lake Whatcom Lowdown Archive

Posted January 30th, 2024