A top urban waterway polluter
Most pollution in water originates on land, and much of it comes from polluted rain runoff (also called stormwater). Every time it rains or snows, water picks up toxic substances from rooftops, roads, construction sites, lawns, trash, and more — and because storm drains don’t flow into any treatment facility, it all goes into the nearest stream or directly into the Salish Sea.
75 percent of toxic chemicals entering the Puget Sound come via roads, driveways, rooftops, yards and other developed land. Wherever water isn’t naturally filtered by vegetation and undeveloped land, it flows unimpeded into the waterways we fish in, drink from, and swim in. Even chemicals banned decades ago still show up in breastmilk, waterways, and wildlife, especially salmon and endangered orcas, through this process of toxic runoff making its way into waterways.
Stormwater also has a big impact on the drinking water source of over 100,000 Whatcom County residents, Lake Whatcom, making water treatment more costly and contain unhealthier byproducts for people to drink. Excess nutrients (especially phosphorus) from fertilizers, septic systems, land development, and pet waste causes unchecked algae growth — which depletes oxygen in the water so fish cannot breathe, and creates the need for costly water treatment systems. Learn more about Lake Whatcom and our work to protect it.
Our work
We provide workshops, educational materials, and in-class K-12 grade school programs about polluted runoff and how to prevent it. Check out the Downloads tab for some great resources, and remember — Don’t Drip and Drive! Check your car for oil leaks regularly.
RE Sources also advocates for protecting Lake Whatcom’s drinking water quality, and keeping water treatment as inexpensive and chemical-free as possible. In 2019, our community and RE Sources urged Whatcom County to create a dedicated funding source for combating pollution in Lake Whatcom. Though this was a great step, there’s more to do. We plan to help further reduce phosphorus pollution, logging pollution, and fossil fuel-derived contamination in our drinking water going forward. Sign up here and get action alerts and resources about protecting drinking water and more delivered to your inbox.
Our North Sound Baykeeper team digs into cleanup plans for contaminated sites listed under the state Model Toxics Control Act — of which there are 12 in Bellingham Bay — to check for plans to prevent polluted runoff from re-contaminating a cleaned-up site. We track permits that allow for some stormwater pollution make sure they aren’t being exceeded. We also conduct regular patrols on public waterways and roads to look for pollution and catch it early on.
