The recently introduced Lake Whatcom Homeowner Incentive Program is giving Silver Beach residents the chance to be part of the solution in turning around the water quality in the watershed, while empowering neighbors to work together to successfully make their homes "lake-friendly".
The incentive program, which isn’t slated to begin until 2011, has gained enough interest this year that the city decided to do as much as they could with their existing resources to get it started, according to Eli Mackiewicz, a field technician for the Lake Whatcom incentive program.
Today, 35 homes are participating in the program with 14 homes already through the design and permitting process and one complete.
The other 20 homes are still in the various stages of being assessed for planning and design options.
Residents of Silver Beach are invited to participate in this collaborative program sponsored by the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County.
Residents will be reimbursed for reducing runoff on their property to help improve Lake Whatcom’s water quality.
Residents will be reimbursed for reducing runoff on their property to help improve Lake Whatcom’s water quality.
As the rainy season approaches, Silver Beach residents start entering that time of year when the annual land clearing regulations around the watershed start taking effect, October 1st to May 31st. This time of year is when the lake experiences the most stormwater runoff, the most common cause of water pollution.
Through the efforts of this program water quality of the lake could start to rise back up without dumping more chemicals into it, according to Kurt Nabbefeld, Senior Planner for the City of Bellingham.
After enrolling in the program, the homeowner can schedule an on-site visit with a city representative to evaluate which stormwater project will be most effective on their property.
Homeowners are provided with up to a $1,000 to $1,500 reimbursement for completion of their selected project and compensation for materials.
Homeowners who participate in the program want to be able to stay within their budget, and since these projects can often require high cost private engineers to obtain permits for building, it would put the homeowner over budget.
Since the City wants these projects to succeed and have homeowners come in under budget, said Mackiewicz, they are completed by city staff instead but still produce engineered stormwater plans.
“Our designs are very comparable to private designs, and we face the exact same rigorous review process as any private project,” Mackiewicz said.
Rainwater collection systems, rain gardens and infiltration trenches are a few examples of the projects specific to residential homes.
Many residents of the neighborhood are willing to take part in this program to protect their drinking water source, yet some are still reluctant.
“Silver Beach is a very affluent neighborhood,” said David Jefferson, the Silver Beach Neighborhood Association Director. “There are plenty who don’t think they need to change what they already have in place.”
Lake Whatcom is not only an important recreational area but the water source for more than 80,000 residents of Bellingham and its surrounding areas. According to the City of Bellingham’s Lake Whatcom Stormwater Plan, the lake is experiencing a decrease in water quality, degraded fish habitat and elevated phosphorus levels.
The Silver Beach Neighborhood Association hopes that the program will be successful, seeing it as positive way to reinforce good stewardship practices in the watershed, said Kate Grinde, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission representative.
Residents living around Basin One in the City’s portion of the Lake Whatcom Watershed are eligible for the program. Basin One has been identified, by the Washington State Department of Ecology, as having the lowest dissolved oxygen levels, making it the area where the most harm has been done.
Homeowners are finding that most of the projects they already planned on doing in the first place work into the program, according to Mackiewicz, making it hard to turn down this opportunity since there is a financial reimbursement.
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| Examples of projects homeowners are encouraged to build. Infiltration trenches, rainwater collection systems and rain gardens. Photos courtesy of the City of Bellingham. If you’re interested in getting involved with the incentive program, visit www.cob.org and search for the Homeowner Incentive Program. |
