- About the Watershed
- Geography
ABOUT THE WATERSHED
Geography
The Nooksack Water Resource Inventory Area #1 (WRIA 1) is located at the northernmost end of the Puget Sound lowlands (2). It covers over 1,410 square miles with elevations ranging from sea level to the top of Mt. Baker at about 10,700 feet. Approximately 21 square miles are found in Skagit County with 147 square miles in British Columbia. Figure 2 illustrates the relative population of the 20 watersheds being used in this characterization report.
WRIA 1 is home to over 164,000 people (excluding those living in Canada). Of that, 1,062 live in Skagit County. The majority of people in the WRIA live in the Bellingham watershed (57,268), with the fewest (0) in the Fraser River. Figure 2 illustrates the population distribution in the various watersheds of the WRIA. Table 1 provides additional information on the population in the cities. Figure 3 provides a comparison of the percent population in each aggregated area with percent of land area within each area.
Land use information is important for developing a water budget and identifying potential sources of problems. Land uses vary throughout WRIA 1. The eastern third (303,526 acres) is dominated by forested lands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and Park Service. Land use in the western portion supports agriculture, residential development, commercial/industrial development, and forestry. Nearly 60% of land in the western portion is either undeveloped or utilized for forestry or open space. (Data on the western portion is based on 2000 Assessor records. Data should be viewed as approximate). Figure 4 illustrates the current land uses within each of the watersheds. The percentages displayed are based on acreage. The greatest number of acres in agriculture is found in the Lynden North, Sumas River, Lower Nooksack, Barrett Lake, and Drayton Harbor watersheds. Drayton Harbor has the greatest number of acres in residential development with 7,440. Birch Bay has the greatest number of acres in industry with 1,928. Zoning is the process by which a county or municipality controls the use of property and physical configuration of development upon tracts of land within its jurisdiction. An understanding of the zoning associated with a particular area is important in order to know what activities are possible on property. Based on Whatcom County zoning information, there are approximately 210,000 acres zoned for forestry, 111,000 zoned for some type of rural development, 88,000 zoned for agriculture, 59,000 acres for urban development, and 12,000 for commercial/industrial development. Refer to the Appendices for more details. Table 2 provides a breakdown of acres by watershed.