West Reach Upper Silver Beach Creek Water Quality Improvement Project

Project Overview

This project is designed to improve water quality and habitat in the Silver Beach Creek sub-basin of the Lake Whatcom Watershed and addresses issues with increased stormwater runoff and greater peak flows resulting from residential development. Project elements include reshaping and stabilizing the stream channel, a bio-infiltration swale, and stormwater treatment vaults. These improvements filter phosphorus-containing sediment, restore habitat, alleviate flooding, reduce erosion, and promote infiltration.

This is the last of three Whatcom County Public Works water quality improvement project in the Silver Beach Creek watershed. Project funding came from a combination of local real estate excise tax revenues, a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology, and a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant.

Whatcom County Public Works received the 2012 Local Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Honor Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Seattle Section for West Tributary Habitat and Stormwater Improvements.

Project Details

• Jurisdiction: Whatcom County

• Contractor: Len Honcoop Gravel, Inc.

• Final Construction Cost: $550,000

• Completion Date: October 2012

Project Area

The West Tributary is located in the Brownsville neighborhood in the Silver Beach Creek sub-basin of the Lake Whatcom Watershed.

Contact

Kraig Olason, Stormwater Program Manager

Whatcom County Public Works Stormwater Division

Phone: (360) 778-6230

Email: Whatcom County Public Works - Stormwater