Rural Whatcom's stream and wetland rules get their 10-year rewrite
What happened: The County is updating its Wetlands, stream corridors, aquifer recharge areas, flood zones and steep or unstable slopes. State law requires counties to protect them using current science. rules for the first time since 2017. They cover unincorporated Whatcom, including Bellingham's growth area outside city limits. No draft changes are posted yet.
Why it matters: The rules set how close to a stream or wetland anyone can build, through buffer widths. Wider buffers mean less buildable land on rural parcels and in the growth area Bellingham is expected to annex; narrower ones mean more. State law requires the County to use the best available science and to give special weight to protecting salmon and other fish habitat, which is what makes these updates contested. The Oct. 22 workshop is the first place the proposed buffer numbers will appear.
What's next: buffer workshop Oct. 22, Planning Commission hearing Nov. 12, Council hearing Dec. 8.