Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association

Washington Conservation Corps
The PUD helped support Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Assoaction's (NSEA) Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crew in 2010. The WCC crew is an integral part of NSEA's salmon habitat restoration effort. They are involved daily in on the ground habitat restoration projects throughout Whatcom County including riparian revegetation, live stock exclusion, fish passage barrier removal, LWD placement, habitat assessment and monitoring, and school education programs.

"Many local landowners have praised the crew for their work ethic and competence" said NSEA Project Manager Darrell Gray.  He added that the WCC youth crew are gaining valuable work experience and contributing to the restoration of an important community resource.

In 2010, the WCC crew accomplished projects in numerous watersheds including Bertrand, Dakota, Fishtrap, Tenmile, Black Slough and Landingstrip Creeks, and the North Fork and Middle Fork Nooksack.

NSEA is a community–based nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County.

Organized in 1990 as one of 14 Washington State Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups, it is a coalition of community members and partners who work together for restoration of wild salmon runs in Whatcom County from the Canadian border to the Skagit Watershed.

Western Washington University Vehicle Research Institute

Western Washington University's Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the PUD to support its Biomethane for Transportation project. This project is focused on using the excess biomethane not used for power production as fuel, which is produced from an anerobic digester/power generator plant operating at the Vander Haak Dairy Farm.

The biomethane produced through the anerobic decomposition of manure produced by Whatcom County dairy herds has the potential to provide approximately 11 million gallons of gasoline equivalent energy for fueling vehicles. The equivalent carbon dioxide reduction, resulting from the capture and combustion of this biofuel, would be similar to the removal of 90,000 automobile from use in Whatcom County.

The ultimate goal of this project is to support and enhance the future viability of agricultural-based industry in Whatcom County through generation of new revenue streams and reduction of costs associated with environmental impact mitigation. Learn more about the Biomethane for Transportation project.

Nooksack Source Protection Plan (NSPP) - The Nooksack Source Protection Plan was developed by the City of Lynden and Public Utility District #1 of Whatcom County in accordance with WAC-246-290-135 (4) and WAC-246-290-668.   For purposes of preparing the NSPP, the Nooksack Basin is divided into its four primary subbasins: North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and Lower Nooksack. The focus of this document is on the areas above the City of Lynden and PUD water intakes.

The City of Bellingham operates a diversion dam on the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River. Information about the City's diversion and land uses above and adjacent to the diversion are included in the NSPP. The City of Bellingham and Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District have jointly prepared a source protection plan for the Lake Whatcom watershed. The two source protection plans - the NSPP and the Lake Whatcom Source Protection Plan - together represent a regional source protection effort for the Nooksack Basin.