BILL REQ. #:  S-1149.2 

Read first time 02/09/09.   Referred to Committee on Environment, Water & Energy.

     AN ACT Relating to Lake Whatcom phosphorus loading; adding a new section to chapter 90.71 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) The Puget Sound 2020 action agenda identifies water pollution as a primary threat to the health of Puget Sound and restoration of polluted waters as a top priority;
     (b) Lake Whatcom is the drinking water reservoir for the city of Bellingham and the Lake Whatcom watershed provides fresh drinking water to one-half the population of Whatcom county;
     (c) Whatcom creek flows out of Lake Whatcom and directly into Bellingham Bay which is the subject of a multiagency clean-up effort, the Bellingham Bay demonstration pilot project;
     (d) The Puget Sound 2020 action agenda's area profile for Whatcom county identifies phosphorous pollution of Lake Whatcom as a key threat;
     (e) Silver Beach creek is a major tributary to Lake Whatcom and its watershed is shared by the city of Bellingham and Whatcom county;
     (f) Two decades of monitoring has shown that Silver Beach creek has some of the highest phosphorus loading of Lake Whatcom tributaries;
     (g) Implementation of the recently completed watershed management plan and water cleanup plan for Lake Whatcom is identified as a priority strategy in the Puget Sound 2020 action agenda's priorities for Whatcom county; and
     (h) Implementation of operations and management plans to manage on-site sewage systems around Lake Whatcom is identified as a key restoration strategy in Whatcom county.
     (2) The legislature intends by this act to assist the city of Bellingham and Whatcom county in implementing a demonstration program to reduce phosphorus loading in the Lake Whatcom and Whatcom creek watershed and to share the lessons learned from this program with other jurisdictions in the Puget Sound basin working to reduce phosphorus loading.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 90.71 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The partnership shall assist the city of Bellingham and Whatcom county to implement a demonstration program regarding phosphorus loading into Lake Whatcom. The partnership shall assist the city and county to secure funding from federal and nongovernmental sources and work to secure funding commitments from the city and county as well. The demonstration program must be implemented by the city and the county and include elements for prevention, education, compliance, and monitoring to reduce to a minimum the introduction of phosphorus-bearing materials into Lake Whatcom. The partnership shall share the results of this program with other jurisdictions in Puget Sound seeking to reduce phosphorus loading.
     (2) Any grant made under this section must be matched by at least an equal amount from nonstate sources.