Shellfish logo used by permission, courtesy of the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association (PCSGA).

Website hosted by:

Portage Bay Projects

On-site Septic Systems

• Whatcom County Health Department On-site Septic System (OSS) Inspections - Currently, this is a complaint-driven process. When there are complaints about a possible failing septic system, County Health responds and inspects/tests out the system. County Health also performs inspections on systems if requested as part of a loan application for a home purchase.
• Silver Creek- Marietta Area On-site Septic Survey
  An on-site septic survey of the Silver Creek watershed in the Marietta area was conducted in 1998-1999 by the Whatcom County Health Department. This area was chosen for study because of its fairly high population density, its proximity to the mouth of the Nooksack River (high potential to impact the Portage Bay shellfish beds) and because the soil types in this area were known to be poorly drained. A total of 176 sites were surveyed and only 6 of the sites were found to be failing. This equates to a 3% failure rate. Education of homeowners as to the importance of regularly pumping and maintaining their septic systems was a big component of this project.
• Educational program on the Maintentance and Operation of OSS - County Health distributes roughly 5000 reminder notices annually to OSS owners in the Portage Bay Shellfish District to have their systems pumped out and inspected every 3-5 years. In 2001, a new flyer on maintenance and operation of OSS was distributed through the Lynden and Ferndale papers (14000 flyers distributed).

On-site Septic Systems
Municipal Sewer Systems
Agricultural Practices
Stormwater Runoff
Education and Community Involvement
Data Management/Water Quality Monitoring
Reports