Whatcom County, WA
The federal environmental record for Whatcom County (population 231,919): what is on file, where it is, and what remains open. Sources and retrieval dates are on the methodology page.
3
Superfund NPL sites
6
federal cleanup sites
1
PFAS-detecting water systems
15
TRI facilities
118
open tank releases
Superfund NPL sites
| Site | City | Status | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Transformer | Everson | deleted | 06/10/1986 |
| Northwest Transformer (South Harkness Street) | Everson | deleted | 02/21/1990 |
| Oeser Co | Bellingham | on the NPL | 09/25/1997 |
Drinking water: PFAS testing
Public water systems serving Whatcom with at least one PFAS detection under UCMR5. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L; EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits for the other compounds, which are shown for information.
| System | Highest results | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Water Assoc. Inc. WA5362000 | PFOA: 4.7 ng/L PFBS: 4.1 ng/L | above final limit |
On a system with detections? Testing and treatment options
Facilities reporting toxic releases (2024)
15 facilities in Whatcom filed TRI reports for 2024, totalling 787k lb released.
| Facility | City | Top chemicals | Total released |
|---|---|---|---|
| BP CHERRY POINT REFINERY | BLAINE | Zinc compounds, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) | 368k lb |
| PHILLIPS 66 FERNDALE REFINERY | FERNDALE | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Toluene | 245k lb |
| CHEMCO INC | FERNDALE | Methanol | 42k lb |
| PSE ENCOGEN | BELLINGHAM | Ammonia | 42k lb |
| PSE FERNDALE GENERATING STATION | FERNDALE | Ammonia | 31k lb |
| MAAX US CORP | BELLINGHAM | Styrene | 24k lb |
| DARIGOLD - LYNDEN | LYNDEN | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) | 18k lb |
| LINDE INC | FERNDALE | Ammonia | 15k lb |
| GRANITE NORTHWEST SINGER PIT | EVERSON | Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene | 340 lb |
| IKO PACIFIC INC. | SUMAS | Polycyclic aromatic compounds | 110 lb |
| OLDCASTLE PRECAST INC | BELLINGHAM | Lead compounds | 38 lb |
| BELL LUMBER & POLE CO WASHINGTON LLC | BELLINGHAM | Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds | 1 lb |
| ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES SERVICES INC. | BELLINGHAM | - | 0 lb |
| CARGILL ANIMAL NUTRITION | FERNDALE | - | 0 lb |
| LISTER CHAIN & FORGE INC | BLAINE | - | 0 lb |
Underground fuel tanks
EPA's UST Finder records 551 tank facilities in Whatcom: 334 tanks in service and 1,192 closed. 125 fuel releases are on record, of which 118 remain open. Open releases are cleanups that have not reached "no further action".
Radon
EPA maps Whatcom as Zone 3, the lowest predicted indoor radon (under 2 pCi/L average). Radon and air quality are covered in depth on lung.com.
The record for one specific address
County figures blur what matters: distance. The Address Environmental Report runs these same federal datasets against one address and reports every site, tank, polluter and water result around it, with distances, in about a minute.
Get the report - $39All federal cleanup sites on file
The wider Superfund enterprise inventory (SEMS) for Whatcom, including sites assessed but never listed. Presence here records that EPA had reason to look, not a finding of danger.
- BOULEVARD PARK ALIAS: SOUTH STATE STREET MANUFACTURED GAS PLABELLINGHAM
- FARM DRIVE MERCURY SPILLFERNDALE
- FERNDALE MERCURY RESPONSEFERNDALE
- SUMAS MOUNTAIN ASBESTOS (AKA SWIFT CREEK)EVERSON
- THE OESER COMPANYBELLINGHAM
- WHATCOM CO - ACME LDFLACME