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Whatcom County · WC-CP-2021 · Pages 1-50

Environment

Chapter 10 establishes comprehensive environmental protection policy for Whatcom County covering general environmental management, natural hazards, water resources, and ecosystems. It directs the county to protect critical areas, manage natural hazards including floods and landslides, safeguard surface water and groundwater quality and quantity, control stormwater, protect the Lake Whatcom watershed, and conserve fish, wildlife, wetland, and marine habitats. The chapter also addresses climate change adaptation, requiring updated climate action planning and greenhouse gas reduction goals including a net-zero carbon target by 2050.

Environment Environment Safety Economy Governance

“Only 5 of 139 Environment policies (4%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Whatcom County planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan.
Convene climate impact advisory committee by 2017; net zero man-made carbon emissions by 2050; update WRIA 1 Watershed Management Plan by February 1, 2019; implement Lake Whatcom stormwater funding mechanisms by 2018
Goals (14 total)
  • Goal 10A: Protect natural resources and systems, life, and property from potential hazards.
  • Goal 10B: Simplify and harmonize regulations relating to the identification, delineation, and protection of environmental features.
  • Goal 10C: In implementing environmental policies, provide for protection of private property rights, economic opportunities, and plan appropriately for growth.
  • Goal 10D: Strengthen the sustainability of Whatcom County's economy, natural environment, and built communities by responding and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
  • Goal 10E: Minimize potential loss of life, damage to property, the expenditure of public funds, and degradation of ecosystems resulting from development in hazardous areas.
  • Goal 10F: Protect and enhance water quantity and quality and promote sustainable and efficient use of water resources.
  • Goal 10G: Protect and enhance Whatcom County's surface water and groundwater quality and quantity for current and future generations.
  • Goal 10H: Protect water resources and natural drainage systems by controlling the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff.
  • Goal 10-I: Support water conservation, reclamation, reuse measures, and education as a means to ensure sufficient water supplies in the future.
  • Goal 10-J: Prioritize the Lake Whatcom watershed as an area in which to minimize development, repair existing stormwater problems, and ensure forestry practices do not negatively impact water quality.
  • Goal 10K: Protect and enhance ecosystems, which provide economic, ecological, aesthetic, and cultural benefit.
  • Goal 10L: Protect and enhance ecosystems that support native fish and wildlife populations and habitat.
  • Goal 10M: Conserve and enhance regulated wetlands.
  • Goal 10N / 10P: Protect and enhance marine ecosystems, resources, and shellfish habitat in Whatcom County.
Stronger Policy Language (68 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy 10A-3: Continue to identify, designate, and protect Critical Areas and other important environmental features.
  • Policy 10E-5: Prohibit the siting of critical public facilities in known natural hazard areas unless the siting of the facility can be shown to have a public benefit that outweighs the risk...
  • Policy 10F-11: Whatcom County will work through the Planning Unit and WRIA 1 Watershed Management Board to update the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Plan for approval by the Whatcom County Council by February 1, 2019.
  • Policy 10G-7: Oppose the use of hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas wells (also known as "fracking") to avoid the potential degradation of water quality in aquifers and other groundwater.
  • Policy 10J-6: Do not allow density bonuses within the Lake Whatcom Watershed.
  • Policy 10J-14: Existing Urban Growth Areas shall not be designated or expanded nor new Urban Growth Areas designated within the Lake Whatcom Watershed, and rezones that allow greater residential densities will not be allowed.
  • Policy 10H-10: Develop and administer regulations and incentives such that there is no net loss of ecological functions and values of regulated wetlands and fish and wildlife habitats.
  • Policy 10L-9: Use Best Available Science to inform the creation of regulations to mitigate adverse impacts of development adjacent to rivers, streams, and marine shorelines.
Show all 68 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 64 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (66 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy 10A-7: Using Best Available Science, support efforts to educate and inform the public as to the benefits of a healthy and viable environment, ecologically fragile areas...
  • Policy 10B-3: Support education as an important tool in developing public appreciation for the value of ecosystems and provide the public with informational materials and presentations...
  • Policy 10C-3: Emphasize an approach to environmental protection by encouraging the use of conservation easements, open space taxation, land acquisition, the density credit program...
  • Policy 10D-2: Develop strategies that encourage a diversified and sustainable economy that is resilient to the impacts of climate change.
  • Policy 10D-4: Pursue strategies to reduce the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the county by encouraging expanded availability and use of public transportation, carpooling...
  • Policy 10E-9: Discourage new development in the floodplain.
  • Policy 10H-8: Strongly incentivize the use of low impact development strategies. Minimize the amount of impervious surface whenever practicable by using natural engineering design methods...
  • Policy 10K-7: Promote voluntary fish and wildlife habitat enhancement projects through educational and incentive programs, such as purchase of development rights or habitat conservation easements.
Show all 66 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 62 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Whatcom County briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Whatcom County council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Whatcom County Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Environment in Whatcom County — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 3 Whatcom County departments to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.