PSA: If you're thinking of moving to Bellingham, don't! (Seattle: co-ops, homes)

[Baldy]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

"Using Lake Whatcom Reservoir for recreation and ultra-expensive homes may have been a good idea 20 years ago, but not so much now."

Our water quality is listed as "compromised" due to this. The main contaminant is phosphorous, and the lake is also low in dissolved oxygen. Phosphorous is typically found in fertilizers and detergents. At least the issue with sewage overflowing into the lake seems to be solved for now.

The city/county sewer is within 5' of the lake edge in some places. All the homes sewers are connected with plain old rubber couplings. Every time I see a drain cleaning truck at a house on the lake, I wonder if their house sewer is leaking into the lake from their root-broke pipe.

[Baldy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

So not true (the bolded)! Quit the hyperbole. No one's fooled. The WA State university system has very good benefits.

Conservatives don't see past the next pay period, either. Short-term thinking has been the name of the game for a very long time.

Re: the underlined--more nonsense. I know people employed at WWU who don't fit your descriptions, and they've been very happy there.

McDonald's isn't as bad as you think. I'd rather work there than WWU. WWU is the new Evergreen State College since Evergreen is on the outs with all the liberals.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Baldy

McDonald's isn't as bad as you think. I'd rather work there than WWU. WWU is the new Evergreen State College since Evergreen is on the outs with all the liberals.

To each his/her own. You flip burgers, I'll handle admin stuff at WWU.

[Blindtom]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

To each his/her own. You flip burgers, I'll handle admin stuff at WWU.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by Baldy

The city/county sewer is within 5' of the lake edge in some places. All the homes sewers are connected with plain old rubber couplings. Every time I see a drain cleaning truck at a house on the lake, I wonder if their house sewer is leaking into the lake from their root-broke pipe.

Yuck. The amount of chlorine in the water is near the higher end of normal, I wonder if that's why?

[xPlorer48]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Yuck. The amount of chlorine in the water is near the higher end of normal, I wonder if that's why?

Yuck, is right. Like you, I grew up here and slowly, the water quality deteriorated. It has accelerated over the past decade or two due to overbuilding in the watershed. Plus, people who live along the lake won’t give up their two stroke motors, at least that is what I last heard. At least, people have been educated about not fertilizing their lawns with phosphorus-laden chemicals.

When I was a kid, my cousin lived on the south side of town, Happy Valley, and she would brag that her domestic water was better than ours as it came from Lake Padden which had no development and a perimeter fence. Now, it is a city park and it’s water is being compromised by the surrounding development.

I visit my mom on the north side of town and always bring my own water. Bellingham water tastes so nasty after having our well water which is filtered.

Growth has its price.

[rkcarguy]

I would guess that it's due to fertilizers and laundry/dish/car wash detergents leaching through into the water from various sources. Our fridge has a carbon filter in it and I use that water for everything. The filter only seems to last around 6 months and it's around the size of a 1-liter bottle, so obviously a lot of yuck is getting filtered out.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by xPlorer48

Yuck, is right. Like you, I grew up here and slowly, the water quality deteriorated. It has accelerated over the past decade or two due to overbuilding in the watershed. Plus, people who live along the lake won’t give up their two stroke motors, at least that is what I last heard. At least, people have been educated about not fertilizing their lawns with phosphorus-laden chemicals.

When I was a kid, my cousin lived on the south side of town, Happy Valley, and she would brag that her domestic water was better than ours as it came from Lake Padden which had no development and a perimeter fence. Now, it is a city park and it’s water is being compromised by the surrounding development.

I visit my mom on the north side of town and always bring my own water. Bellingham water tastes so nasty after having our well water which is filtered.

Growth has its price.

Wow. I'm learning so much on these B'ham threads!

There are a couple of reservoirs in Seattle neighborhoods, that still have fences around the perimeter. I don't see why fences would be eliminated, just because the city has grown to surround the reservoirs. It doesn't make sense that a city would allow its water supply to become compromised. Is that poor planning by city leaders, or what's up with that?

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Wow. I'm learning so much on these B'ham threads!

There are a couple of reservoirs in Seattle neighborhoods, that still have fences around the perimeter. I don't see why fences would be eliminated, just because the city has grown to surround the reservoirs. It doesn't make sense that a city would allow its water supply to become compromised. Is that poor planning by city leaders, or what's up with that?

Lake Padden is no longer a water supply, and is now a great in-town park: https://www.cob.org/services/recreat...dden-park.aspx. That's why it has no perimeter fence surrounding it.

Regarding fencing in Lake Whatcom, it would be a ridiculous large and controversial project. The lake is 13 miles long, and at some places well over a mile wide. The water is pulled and diverted through pipes and tunnels from several basins within the lake. Here's a little more about the water supply and treatment of it: Water Supply and Treatment - Lake Whatcom Management Program.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by bartonizer

Lake Padden is no longer a water supply, and is now a great in-town park: https://www.cob.org/services/recreat...dden-park.aspx. That's why it has no perimeter fence surrounding it.

Thank you. This makes much more sense. And yes, it's a beautiful park!

Originally Posted by bartonizer;

Regarding fencing in Lake Whatcom, it would be a ridiculous large and controversial project. The lake is 13 miles long, and at some places well over a mile wide. The water is pulled and diverted through pipes and tunnels from several basins within the lake. Here's a little more about the water supply and treatment of it: Water Supply and Treatment - Lake Whatcom Management Program.

Thanks for all the info you post on here, in general.