Nooksack Basin

A new coalition of farmers, environmental advocates, business leaders and local officials is launching an effort to address water challenges in Washington's Whatcom County.

The Washington Department of Ecology say water users in the Nooksack watershed and adjacent areas should begin receiving their adjudication claim forms via certified mail this week.  The mailing list includes about 30,000 landowners.  Ecology...

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife closed all fishing in the Nooksack River, including all forks, this weekend.  The closure will remain in place until further notice.   WDFW said hatchery steelhead returns to the Kendall Creek Hatchery on the North Fork Nooksack are well short of broodstock needs.  Prohibiting ...

A nonprofit group representing the irrigation needs of farmers in Nooksack River Basin in Northwest Washington has come out in opposition of the state’s plan for managing the area.  An example of challenges the county faces is encapsulated in a two-month period in the fall of 2021, when severe drought conditions followed by flooding.  The sequ...

Farmers in Northern Whatcom County, in the NW corner of Washington, are calling for comprehensive changes to the Nooksack River Basin's water management system after November's floods. Local farmers say all water storage options need to be on the table, including removing river sediment, protecting farmland and fixes to waterway improvements like dykes, backchannels and floodgates ...

A newly completed project on a tributary of the Nooksack River is improving life for both salmon and farmers. Salmon will again be able to spawn in Duffner Ditch, thanks to a state-of-the-art fish-friendly floodgate, which replaced an older, inefficient floodgate that was minimizing salmon habitat ...