Our Water Resources

Water resource management is of paramount importance to communities on Whidbey Island. We all use water and we all live downstream.  The availability of safe drinking water, groundwater & aquifer recharge, and safely discharged stormwater are critically important to the residents of Whidbey Island.  

Perhaps water resource management for you involves drainage challenges, erosion, an excess of water, steep slope stabilization, or alternative stormwater management techniques. 

Our planners are able to supply you with high level resources and guidance, but if your request involves sheer or steep bluffs you may require the expertise of an engineer. We encourage you to consult a geotechnical engineer: Skagit Island Buildings Association Professionals Directory, Puget Sound Engineering Council, American Society of Civil Engineers Seattle Section Geotechnical Group, and Structural Engineers Association of Washington.
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Nearshore Living

Orcas swim by, herons stand patiently waiting for fish, clams and mussels hide in the sand until our shovels dig them up. We eat and recreate in the ocean, lakes, and rivers. We get our drinking water from underground aquifers and nearby rivers. As island residents, we live on the nearshore - that magical place where land meets ocean. Read our Nearshore Living Guide to learn more.

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Stormwater & Drainage

Our Islands, Our Water, Our Future
​A local guide on water management, including septic, stormwater, lawn care
​Tulalip Tribes: Rainwater Management
Learn to assess  your property and potential best management practices
​Rain Garden Handbook of WA
Learn all about designing, installing, and maintaining a rain garden
​Solving Drainage and Erosion Guide
Learn about solving specific drainage and water resource challenges from Northern Virginia Conservation District

Wetlands 

At Home with Wetlands Guide
Got a wetland on your property and interested in stewarding it?
Planting & Caring for Wetland Plants
Learn about installing and maintaining plants best suited for wetlands

Shoreline

Island County Shore Friendly
Financial and technical assistance for your shoreline
Better Ground Shorelines
Helpful FAQ from our Puget Sound Conservation Districts hub
Guide for Shoreline Living
by the WSU Extension Island County Shore Stewards Program
​Your Marine Waterfront
Native plant selection for shorelines, and other best management practices

Bluffs

These comprehensive guides from Washington Department of Ecology will help you with your bluff property
Surface & Ground Water
Vegetation Management
Slope Stabilization & Erosion Control

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Stormwater and Rain Gardens 

View the extended Stormwater Steward series on our Youtube Playlist

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 01J18101 to Department of Ecology.
​The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Let's Talk About Stormwater

Stormwater is the name we use for rain and snow when it hits the ground. In a natural system, this water would fall on plants and healthy soil. The plants would absorb some of the water and the soil would retain and filter some of the water to be released slowly into waterways. Some of the water would make a long journey down to refresh our underground aquifers, which is where most Whidbey residents get their drinking water. But in our human developments, there's a lot of surface area that can't absorb water (impermeable surfaces), such as streets, parking areas, sports fields, gravel lots, rooftops, and driveways. What happens to that stormwater?

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Stormwater Run-off is rain that falls on impermeable surfaces and, since it can't be absorbed by these surfaces, it flows directly into nearby lakes, rivers and Puget Sound. For us islanders who live on the near-shore, the ocean is never far away, and our stormwater run-off flows into it with few opportunities to be caught and filtered. Everything that sits on our roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and streets is in danger of being picked up by stormwater run-off and carried to the ocean along with the water. As landowners, our job is to keep impermeable surfaces free of pollutants, fecal bacteria, and garden chemicals so that these pollutants don't build up in our waterways and poison them. Rain gardens are a wonderful, low maintenance solution to treating run-off in any landscape.

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