HomeMy WebLinkAboutres2014-019 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2014 68
CLEARANCES Initial Date Date Received in Council Office -_ Agenda Date Assigned to:
Originator. 2/4/2014 2/11/2014 Natural Resources
Division Head. 2/25/14 Council
_ 3/26/14 Lake Whatcom
Dept.Head. a Joint Councils
& Commission
Prosecutor: Meeting
Purchasing/Budget:
Executive:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT:
Discussion of a proposed joint Lk Whatcom resolution
ATTACHMENTS:
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( ) NO Should Clerk schedule a hearing? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( ) Yes ( ) NO Requested Date:
SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing,you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate.
Be clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
A discussion of a proposed resolution with the City of Bellingham and the Lake Whatcom Water&Sewer District that would declare the entities
commitments to protecting Lake Whatcom and set milestones to reach for in the next few years. This was discussed at the 2/3/14 Joint Lake
Whatcom Policy Group,and discussion needs to take place soon to complete it by the proposed March 2014 Joint Lake Whatcom meeting between
the three entities.
COMMITTEE ACTION: COUNCIL ACTION:
2/11/2014: Committee recommends approval of two draft 2/25/2014: Council Approved 5-0, Kremen & Weimer absent
resolutions, which will go before the County Council and two draft resolutions will go before the Lake Whatcom
the joint meeting with the City of Bellingham and Lake Joint Councils and Commission meeting on March 26, 2014.
Whatcom Water and Sewer District in March. 3/26/2014: Council Approved 6-0, Crawford absent
Res. 2014-019
3/26/2014: Council Approved 6-0, Crawford absent
Res. 2014-020
Related County Contract#: Related File Numbers: Ordinance or Resolution
Number: Res. 2014-019
Res. 2014-020
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing
on the County's website at: www.co.whatcom.wa.us/council.
Joint Resolution - Lake Whatcom TMDL Plan
PROPOSED BY: CONSENT
SPONSORED BY: CONSENT
INTRODUCTION DATE: 3/26/2014
RESOLUTION NO. 2014-019
JOINT RESOLUTION OF BELLINGHAM CITY COUNCIL, WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL,
AND LAKE WHATCOM WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS REAFFIRMING
OUR SHARED COMMITMENT TO THE HEALTH OF LAKE WHATCOM, SETTING
MILESTONES FOR 2014 THROUGH 2016 TO IMPROVE ITS WATER QUALITY, AND
SETTING GOALS FOR THE WORK PLAN OF THE LAKE WHATCOM POLICY GROUP
WHEREAS, Lake Whatcom is the drinking water source for approximately 100,000
Whatcom County residents; and
WHEREAS, the Lake's water quality has been generally declining since at least 1988; and
WHEREAS, in 1992 the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the precursor to the Lake
Whatcom Water and Sewer District jointly formed the Lake Whatcom Management Program and
thereby declared their intention to work together to protect and manage Lake Whatcom; and
WHEREAS, Lake Whatcom was first listed on the 303(d) list of impaired water bodies under
the federal Clean Water Act for excessive levels of phosphorus and fecal coliform in 1998; and
WHEREAS, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Report of Findings for total phosphorus
and fecal coliform in the Lake Whatcom Watershed was issued in 2008 by the Washington State
Department of Ecology (DOE) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which,
when finalized as an implementation plan, will require dramatic reductions in phosphorus loading to
the Lake; and
WHEREAS, excessive phosphorus levels in Lake Whatcom have required substantial
investments from the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Lake Whatcom Water and
Sewer District to ensure long-term access to sufficient amounts of high quality drinking water; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Lake Whatcom Water and
Sewer District strive to ensure that their investments result in effective, sustained annual
reductions of phosphorus loading to the Lake; and
WHEREAS, sustained reductions in phosphorus loading to the Lake will reduce the long-
term costs to the City of Bellingham, its water customers, and the customers of the Lake Whatcom
Water and Sewer District; and
WHEREAS, substantial additional investments over a number of years will be needed to
clean up the Lake; and
WHEREAS, the Lake Whatcom Management Program's series of five-year work plans have
established and implemented actions in major program areas needed to improve water quality in
the Lake; and
WHEREAS, in 2014 development of the next five-year plan will identify and schedule
implementation of actions for the five-year period 2015 to 2019; and
WHEREAS, completion of a TMDL implementation plan will require melding of the load
reduction actions contained in the five-year plan with identification of long-term costs needed to
achieve reduction targets identified in the 2008 TMDL Report, identification of funding sources, and
establishment of a timeline for achieving those reduction targets; and
WHEREAS, the Lake Whatcom Policy Group is well positioned to work with staff and
administrations to identify and facilitate the work needed to complete the TMDL implementation
plan.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL that, in
cooperation with their respective administrations, the councils/commissions of the Lake Whatcom
Management Program establish the following milestones for actions necessary to complete and
implement a TMDL implementation plan and direct the Lake Whatcom Policy Group to initiate and
oversee the accomplishment of these milestones:
1. In 2014, establish policy principles for all areas of investment, and identify expenditures
needed to achieve load reduction goals in each area.
2. In 2015, analyze expenditure levels, identify funding sources and set specific timetables
for each area of investment.
3. In 2016, complete an implementation plan for phosphorus reduction and control of fecal
coliform that will meet the requirements of the TMDL, protect our drinking water, and
restore lake aticAlciputary water quality.
A p p I:617E D thin-.1: day of March , 2014.
ATTEST: );'- cOut WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
vaiL,„ ,Dana Brown Davig,821ek®f the�� ouncil Carl Weimer, Council Chair
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APPR VED AS 11b,�dRM:
.ivil Depu y Prosecutor