Businesses and residents in the Iowa Street area can breathe easier now that the flood gates controlling water flowing from Lake Whatcom into Whatcom Creek are fully opened. The water level in Lake Whatcom reached the legal maximum of 314.94 feet above sea level at 10:30 pm Thursday night, at which time crews opened the third and final control gate. Public Works staff monitored water levels throughout the night at several locations along the creek, including Iowa Street and Ohio Street. The water level rise was minimal and there was no report of damage to property. As efforts continue to bring the level of Lake Whatcom down, Iowa Street at the I-5 northbound on-ramp will remain closed until further notice. Staff will continue monitoring levels and will notify the community immediately of any further developments.

Bellingham Parks and Recreation is advising citizens using city trails to proceed with extreme caution and watch for fallen debris and water hazards. The following closures and restrictions have been reported:

• Padden Gorge Trail has been closed due to water overflowing Padden Creek due to a plugged culvert. There is a large section of trail that has been washed out making the trail unsafe.
• Lake Padden Trail has several sections that are not passable at this time.
• Sunset Pond Trail has developed a sink hole that is barricaded, but the trail is passable.
• Arroyo Park Trail is washed out in places, but passable.

The joint Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the flood event is now officially a county operation, with the Whatcom County Sheriff's office serving as the incident commanders. This decision was made late Wednesday night as a result of diminishing issues in the city and increasing issues in the county. The city continues to provide planning, public works operations and public information officer support to the county EOC.

City fire, public works and parks staff have begun clean-up, damage assessment, and documentation work.

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Media Contact:
Joy Monjure, Communications Coordinator
Public Works
778-7900
jmonjure@cob.org

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