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Questions and Answers about Protecting Lake Whatcom Resevoir

Mission Statement

Last autumn, Mayor Mark Asmundson proposed a ban on the use of fertilizers and pesticides (including both herbicides and insecticides) in the Lake Whatcom Watershed. Today the proposal remains a good idea, and it needs to be implemented. It is time for the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council to move forward to protect the drinking water for 85,000 people by banning such chemicals from our watershed. Anything going into the lake has the potential to come out of our taps, as numerous studies have already shown.

Fertilizers and pesticides applied in the watershed are polluting the Lake Whatcom Reservoir. They pose an immediate threat to the quality of our drinking water, as well as to the lake’s diverse fish, invertebrate, plant, and animal populations. Unchecked, these chemicals will continue to contaminate the lake for future generations.

Fertilizers cause problems for both aquatic life and human health. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus ends up in the lake, contributing to algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions. Low oxygen creates “dead zones” during summer months that cannot support life. These dead zones have been getting bigger and lasting longer in recent years.

Because of its low oxygen levels, Lake Whatcom Reservoir has been listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an impaired body of water. Additional listings are being considered for mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dieldrin, and phosphorus. Moreover, the latest 2002/2003 Lake Whatcom Monitoring Report found a significant decline in Lake Whatcom water quality. Many water quality indicators show that Basin 2 water, where the city drinking water intake pipe is located, is now as bad as the water in Basin 1, the most urbanized and polluted area of the lake.

Herbicides (weedkillers) entering the lake can negatively impact aquatic plants and animals, as well as people. They can kill off plants that provide critical habitat, food, and shelter for fish and invertebrates, and affect reproductive development in frogs, fish, and potentially humans. Herbicides are likely to enter the lake from lawns, gardens, commercial forestry operations, and roadside weed control programs. Weedkillers such as 2,4-D have recently been detected in Lake Whatcom water.

Insecticides are also of great concern, posing a severe threat to both aquatic organisms and humans through contact and by ingestion. Insecticides have been linked to serious human health disorders, including cancer, nervous system damage, and reproductive toxicity. It is not surprising that when the Washington State Department of Ecology identified the insecticides chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion in Lake Whatcom tributaries in 1998, there was much alarm. These chemicals are especially toxic to the nervous system.

Banning the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the watershed is an important first step in protecting the Lake Whatcom Reservoir. This should be done in conjunction with other programs as part of a comprehensive watershed protection plan. Education will be a critical component of that plan as will the funding and implementation of enforcement.

Thank you, Mayor Asmundson, for beginning this conversation. The time to act on this important issue is now. We ask our leaders in both city and county government to enact ordinances to eliminate these harmful substances from our watershed and our drinking water reservoir without further delay.

Chris Dillard, President, People for Lake Whatcom
Tom Pratum, Board Member, North Cascades Audubon Society
Angela Storey, Pesticides Organizer, Washington Toxics Coalition

email: info@pflw.org
phone: 360-676-1254

© 2002 People for Lake Whatcom
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