The Bertrand Watershed Improvement District is located in the north central lowland area of Whatcom County, adjacent to the main Nooksack River within WRIA 1. Land use in the local area is mixed, including agriculture and rural residential areas. Agriculture includes a mix of dairy hay, berry crops, and dairy corn. Several large agricultural production facilities, some supporting the regional agricultural community, are located in the WID area. The closest city is Lynden (pop. 12,900) to the east. The City of Ferndale (pop. 12,700) is located to the south. A significant proportion of the soils in the Bertrand WID have been classified by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as Prime or Prime if managed5. The Bertrand WID area encompasses 14,393 acres in total. The WID area includes Bertrand Creek and lower Fishtrap Creek, both of which originate in Canada, and Schneider Creek, all of which are included in Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1). Flow through Bertrand and Fishtrap Creeks is north to south, and flow through Schneider Creek is generally west to east. These tributaries contribute significant water flows to the mainstem Nooksack River. The WID contains two other special purpose districts within its boundaries, whose primary purpose is to improve and maintain drainage of agricultural land within those portions of the WID. These are Consolidated Drainage Improvement District #1, and Drainage District #2 . Refer to the Bertrand WID Mapping Report for more information.
2022 ACTION ITEMS
1. Complete fish friendly tidegate on Duffner Ditch
2. Assist landowners in preparing for a water right adjudication
– develop legal strategy
3. Make use of 5-year programmatic drainage permit – encourage
landowners to use it. Monitor and reduce problem beavers.
4. Complete surface to ground water transfers
5. Propose River projects to be funded under FLIP process
6. Ensure water quality monitoring program continues.
Support avian DNA project.
7. Communicate with landowners through WFF newsletters and posts
8. Illustrate farmers’ contributions to salmon recovery
9. Advance Drainage Based Management and use of management tools
(i.e. water banks, storage, pipelines)