Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

Lake Whatcom and dam are located north of Seattle about one mile east of Bellingham, Washington in Whatcom County. Lake Whatcom has been used as a water supply source since the 1880s and became the principle water source of the City of Bellingham in 1892. In 1938, a dam was constructed to provide additional water storage, maintain a higher lake water level, and prevent flooding. The manually controlled adjustable dam is operated and maintained by the City of Bellingham.