WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Millions of dollars in grants and loans are coming to our region next year.
The Washington state Department of Ecology announced their final offer list of 2027 recipients for water treatment and watershed grants Tuesday, June 30.
Over a dozen projects were awarded money between Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties.
Among them, the Lummi Nation Water and Sewer District is receiving nearly $2.4 million in loan to create long-term design improvements for wastewater collection and treatment facilities within the district. The project is estimated to need over $28 million in the next biennium to be fully funded.
Other projects seeing funds in the county include Whatcom County Water District 13, the Lummi Indian Business Council, Bellingham Public Works Department, Birch Bay Water and Sewer District and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA).
The county district will receive $1.5 million in loan to design wastewater planning including a new treatment facility in Maple Falls. This project is expected to need $20 million to be fully funded in the next biennium.
Bellingham Public Works received two grants: $500,000 for the Squalicum Creek at Baker Creek Restoration Project and $350,000 for reducing nutrients in the sewer system.
The restoration project will remove a fish passage barrier among other improvements to the creek area.
Bellingham’s smaller grant will prioritize work to improve treatment conditions at the city’s Post Point Treatment Plant. Ecology recently proposed nutrient control at Post Point during a public comment period. Birch Bay is also receiving the funds to reduce nutrient content in their wastewater.
Nutrients from human sources (such as nitrogen-rich fertilizer) contributes to harmful algal blooms. Once the blooms die off, their decomposition can lower oxygen levels in the water.
Lummi Indian Business Council’s and NSEA’s grants will create environment improvements on the Nooksack River including building logjams and restoring habitat for salmon and salmonids.
