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CITY · UTILITY FEE
Bellingham Watershed Protection Fee
Lake Whatcom Watershed Protection charge added to water bills. Not a tax — a utility fee. Pledged as bond security for land acquisition. ~$103M collected 2001-2024.
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Utility fee
City
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Latest year
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Cumulative collected
per ERU on water bill
Current rate
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About this revenue source
Lake Whatcom Watershed Protection charge added to water bills. Not a tax — a utility fee. Pledged as bond security for land acquisition. ~$103M collected 2001-2024.
Authorization
Statutory or ballot basis for this revenue source.
Collection history
Year-by-year amount collected as documented in the source ledger (Annual Tax Books for property-tax sources; CAFRs and revenue schedules for others).
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Funds it feeds
Every governmental fund that this revenue source flows into. Allocation percentages are documented where the source materials specify them.
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Real-estate relevance
Fee revenue redirected to land acquisition; investigation subject
Discussed in meetings
Real Briefings that mention this revenue source.
The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on June 15, 2026, completing a moderately active agenda that included one public hearing, several actions emerging from executive session, adoption of the city's ...
The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, June 1, 2026, with Council President Hannah Stone excused and Council Member Hollie Huthman presiding as Council President Pro Tempore. The council took ...
The Bellingham City Council convened a special meeting on May 18, 2026, for a single agenda item: a closed record hearing on Agenda Bill 24940, an ordinance to vacate the eastern half (15 feet) of Fir Street abutting ...
The Bellingham City Council held a compact regular meeting on May 11, 2026, completing business in under an hour. The meeting's most consequential action was the adoption of Resolution #2026-10, creating a limited-term ...
The Bellingham City Council's Public Works and Natural Resources Committee convened on May 11, 2026, with Council Member Michael Lilliquist presiding, joined by Council Members Lisa Anderson and Dan Hammill. Council ...
The Whatcom County Planning Commission held a comprehensive review of proposed zoning map amendments affecting nine jurisdictional areas, including multiple Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) and Limited Areas of More Intensive ...
The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee approved three significant infrastructure items that will advance sustainable forest management, reduce development costs, and improve downtown accessibility. The ...
The 18th Annual Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commissioners Meeting brought together officials from Whatcom County, Bellingham, and Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District to review 2025 progress and discuss 2026 ...
The 18th annual Lake Whatcom joint meeting brought together all three governing bodies responsible for managing the region's primary drinking water source, serving over 120,000 residents. This year's meeting marked a ...
The joint meeting of Whatcom County's Board of Health and Public Health Advisory Board focused on significant health challenges facing the county, including a pertussis outbreak, severe budget cuts, and the launch of a ...
Methodology note
Per-year revenue extracted from Bellingham Adopted Budget Books, fund-detail pages (TOTAL REVENUE row, summing operating + capital lines). Years marked ACTUAL are audited; PRELIMINARY and ADOPTED years are budget figures. Watershed Fund 411 is a sub-fund of the Water Fund 410 — that's why CAFRs don't break it out as a separate enterprise.