^22g 



a.) "In 1949, the North Side sewage treatment plant, with a designed capacity of 

 3,5 M6D, commenced operation. Today (1957) the average daily summer flow is 

 5 to 5.5 M^D; night summer flow is about 3 M^D. Flow in excess of 5.5 M^D is 

 by-passed into Bellingham Bay and cannot be measured." (See Exhibits 10 and 11) 



b.) Considering the inefficiency of the municipal sewage treatment facilities, 



the problem of adding additional load through extension of sewer lines outside 

 the city needs careful attention. 



c.) Construction of lagoons may not be desirable because of the problem of cli- 

 matic conditions influencing the operational efficiency and perhaps not solving 

 the problem of nutrient addition to the lake. 



9. The Lake Whatcom watershed, which is the source of Whatcom Creek, has not been offi- 

 cially defined for watershed management purposes. 



a.) The area involving the headwaters of the Middle Fork is recognized. (See Ex- 

 hibit 12) 



b.) Other areas involved are: 



1.) The developed areas shown in Exhibit 1. 



2.) Approximately 18,000 acres under pulp and timber ownership. 



3.) Other publicly owned land, i.e. schools, state. 



c.) Lack of firm policies and management practices has resulted in the lowering of 

 property values and tends to discourage development. (See Exhibit 13) 



10, At recent water quality hearings in Mount Vernon, an official representative opened 

 his remarks with the statement, "Whatcom County is blessed with an abundance of 

 pristine pure water". Statements such as this, which bear an element of truth, are 

 greatly misleading to the public. It has been shown in 1953 (Ref. 9) that: 



a,) The vast Nooksack watershed contains much water important to fisheries. (See 

 Exhibit 14) 



b.) Lake Whatcom and Whatcom Creek are important fishery areas. (See Exhibit 15) 



c.) That there are numerous possible reservoir sites. (See Exhibit 16) 



d.) Storage combined with complete utilization of the ground water reservoir is 

 capable of providing water for future needs and allow nearly a million acre 

 feet annually to enter the Sound as stream flow. (See Exhibit 17) 



In spite of the above, it is obvious that the waters become polluted because 



a.) the City of Bellingham was officially informed that its water supply does not 

 meet standards of quality for interstate use as set by U.S.P.H.S.; 



b.) the state finds Bellingham Bay in a deplorable condition. (See Exhibit 18) 



