Watershed Regulations

Watershed Closure Information:

For parcels within the Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish & Lake Padden Watersheds, permits may be reviewed all year round, but permit issuance for projects that exceed 500 sq. ft. of land disturbance is prohibited from October 1 through May 31. Phasing of soil disturbance is prohibited. Contact PDS stormwater staff for more details.

New Stormwater Regulations - 2022

On September 27, 2022, the Whatcom County Council adopted new regulations regarding stormwater management in Whatcom County. These regulations are designed to normalize the stormwater requirements, provide compliance with the County's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Permit (Clean Water Act), and recognize the impact of tree removal in Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish, and Lake Padden watersheds. These regulations went into effect on October 10, 2022. Read more information here about building in the Lake Whatcom watershed and tree removal in protected watersheds.

Purpose

Some of the watersheds of Whatcom County are protected through special districts. These special districts are overlay zones that impose regulatory controls that are designed to preserve and protect the unique character and long-term viability of the speciﬁc geographic areas that they have been applied to. These overlay zones are found in Title 20 of Whatcom County Code.

The overlay zones include Stormwater Special Districts, Water Resource Special Management Areas, and the Water Resource Protection Overlay District. Watersheds that are included vary by overlay zone, but at least one zone applies in Lake Whatcom, Lake Padden, Lake Samish, Birch Bay, Drayton Harbor Watersheds and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II areas.

Watershed Closure Information: For parcels within the Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish & Lake Padden watersheds, permits may be reviewed all year round, but permit issuance for projects that exceed 500 sq. ft. of land disturbance is prohibited from October 1 through May 31. Phasing of soil disturbance is prohibited. Contact PDS stormwater staff for more details.

Watershed Definition

A watershed is an area of land that contains a common network of interrelated components including wetlands, lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, floodplains, etc. that work together to move water and sediments through the landscape. Watersheds generally drain into a single body of water such as a lake, river, or an ocean.

Standards

Standards are specific to each of the watershed overlay zones and vary by watershed. In general, the regulations are low impact development standards that are intended to protect a valuable resource, whether it be drinking water or aquatic habitat. See specific watershed pages for more information.