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Water District #10 was formed in November 1968 primarily to provide sewer service to the many homes on septic systems around Lake Whatcom. In September of 2003, the District changed its name to Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District to better represent the area it serves. Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District provides water service to approximately 4,000 residential customers and sewer service to approximately 4,300 residential customers in an 18 square mile area encompassing Lake Whatcom. The District is operated by 18 full time staff persons, a five-member Board of Commissioners, and has an annual budget of about $8 million dollars.

Utility bills are for water and sewer services received in the prior two months and are mailed out bi-monthly. The sewer portion of your bill accounts for the majority of the base rate. Sewer costs to the District are based upon the volume of sewage sent to the City of Bellingham for treatment. All District customers pay the same bi-monthly water and sewer rates. Many district customers, especially those who have just moved to the area, have questions about what makes up the cost of their bi-monthly bill.

By law, bills for water and sewer service must be delivered directly to the property owner, as listed on the deed. As a courtesy, Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District can deliver a copy of the bill to the service address, as well as to any property manager, in addition to the original bill sent to the owner. The copy of the bill sent to the service address will be addressed to "Current Resident." We do not add tenant's names to the water and sewer service account. Whether a property owner lives at the service address or rents it out, ultimate liability for the water bill falls to the property owner.

Washington State Law requires that all water systems serving 15 or more residential service connections be metered. Your water meter measures the volume of water used in your home and from fixtures on your property. Water use from 0-600 cubic feet per billing period is covered by the base rate. If more than 600 cubic feet are used, customers are charged per 100 cubic feet. 1 cubic foot of water is 7.48 gallons. Average water use over the duration of two months for one person is about 600 cubic feet.