Letter RE Lake Whatcom

I received my utility bill last week, and as usual, my blood pressure went up when I saw the Watershed and Stormwater assessments. These continue to be nothing more than subsidies to support the lifestyles of the people who live on the lake.

Yesterday I went out on the lake, the first time in almost two months. The water was cloudy, and full of weeds and algae. Some of the plants there appear to be grasses and dutch iris, garden flowers that somehow ended up in the lake, as if some of the lakeside residents weeded their gardens and tossed the weeds into the lake. Some of the boats’ hulls were coated with algae when they were removed from the lake.

The ordinances the city and county have enacted are not working, because they are unenforceable; two-cycle powered craft continue to zip up and down the lake, lakeside residents continue to fuel their boats while they are moored at docks which they pressure watch with detergents, and phosphate fertilizers and detergents can be easily purchased nearby. The AIS permits are unfair and unworkable. The local AIS program is based on incomplete information which most people see as a subtle effort to keep boats off the lake. Take a tour of the south end of the lake (not city property, but it is part of our drinking water system) and look at the number of boats which don’t even have current state registration stickers, let alone AIS. Most of the lawns along the shore are lush, green weed-free carpets which go right to the water’s edge, with no buffers. The paved ramps on the private properties funnel water straight from the street into the lake. Several of the concrete bulkheads have cracks that gush water into the lake during and after a rain. Same story for the concrete bulkheads which have drain pipes embedded in them. Your rain garden displays at Bloedel Donovan park are interesting, but most lakeside residents rarely visit that park, so the targeted group rarely if ever see those displays. Even if they did, they obviously have no plans on converting their yards to a more lake-friendly environment.

Your ordinances seem to be intended to placate some governmental and public special interest groups, rather than provide any real protection of the lake. This lake will continue to degrade unless the city and county governments work together to eliminate or at least reduce the pollution created by the lakeside residents.

Yes, I paid my utility bill. I also spent more than $14,000 in 2004 to rip out my very large front and back lawns, and replace them with native plants and grasses, so I am trying to lead by example, even if I don’t actually live in the watershed.

I encourage both councils to stop playing to the special interest groups and draft some ordinances with some teeth in them if you truly are concerned about the future of the lake. Start assessing or fining every resident whose lawn extends into the water’s edge; have them rip out the concrete bulkheads, just as the city is planning to do at Bloedel Donovan; get out on the lake and see for yourselves what’s happening and who’s doing it; ticket boats without current tabs; assess every property with a concrete boat ramp, or paved access to the water’s edge. I understand that you will be dealing with powerful, wealthy people, but these same individuals are the ones who continue to pollute our lake.

Thank you,

Joe Boyd