The City of Bellingham, Wash., relies on Lake Whatcom to supply drinking water for its 87,700 residents. Also popular for swimming, boating and fishing, the 10-mile-long lake is divided into three basins, and the city draws water from the shallowest, called Geneva Basin.
In 1998, the lake was placed on the U.S. EPA's list of impaired water bodies because of low dissolved oxygen from phosphorus contamination, which has caused seasonal algae blooms. While that has not affected the Bellingham Water Treatment Plant's water quality, it has affected operations by clogging filters.
During summer 2009,
