These tests should be made public and posted in The Bellingham Herald and in swimming areas. Support the grant application efforts for land acquisition in the Lake Whatcom Watershed by utilizing the part time city-funded grant writing position. The amount of land acquired via matching funds from state, federal, or private grants could be doubled or tripled using this mechanism. However, according to our elected representatives at the state level, Washington State officials are skeptical about supplemental funding of watershed land acquisition needs when motorized watercraft continue to operate on our drinking water source. Proactively support the study of issuing bonds for accelerated land acquisition within the Lake Whatcom watershed.
Legal precedent supports the aforementioned actions.
As recently as 1998, the Washington State Supreme Court explicitly found that protection of public health is a preeminent responsibility of government and may invalidate any vesting. Judge Molloy also clarified that neither the state nor the EPA can issue new or expanded point source permits for waters that are WQLS until a TMDL is developed. Thus, legal precedence exists to stop development in Lake Whatcom watershed until a TMDL study is completed. The land acquisition funding mechanism also provides financial relief for those property owners who will be disenfranchised as the result of a temporary moratorium. Members of the Clean Water Alliance will be calling to meet with you if you have further questions regarding the EIS and TMDL study, or the requested temporary moratorium proposal.