- About the Watershed
- Development
ABOUT THE WATERSHED
Development
Water used under this category includes a variety of different uses such as:
- Residential (including indoor and outdoor needs such as drinking water, showers, laundry, and for less than ½ acre of irrigation);
- Commercial;
- Industrial; and
- Golf courses, cemeteries, parks
Water for these purposes is typically obtained from either a public water system or an individual well. A public system can be either privately owned (such as water associations), or publicly owned (such as water districts, municipalities, or public utility districts). There are approximately 300 public water systems in WRIA 1 serving over 130,000 people. The remaining population of Whatcom County obtains water from either a smaller public system or an individual well/ surface water source. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 - 34,000 people obtain their water from an individual wells.
Assuming an average use of 100 gallons per person per day, this means approximately between 1,095 and 1,241 million gallons are used per year, representing about 5% of the total annual water used for domestic, commercial, and industrial needs.