The Laurel Watershed Improvement District (see Figure 3) is located in the central lowland area of Whatcom County, adjacent to the main Nooksack River within WRIA 1. Land use in the local area is diverse, including agricultural, rural, commercial and low-density residential areas. Agriculture includes a mix of dairies, berry crops and potato crops in the northern part of the WID and small scale agriculture in the southern portion. The City of Ferndale (pop. 12,700) lies across the Nooksack River to the west of the WID area, while the City of Bellingham (pop. 83,600) is located to the south. A significant proportion of the soils in the Laurel WID have been classified by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as Prime or Prime if managed5. The WID area encompasses 8,307 acres in total. The WID area includes portions of the Ten Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek and Deer Creek drainages, all of which are included in Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1). Flow through these creeks is generally east to west, entering the Barrett Lake reservoir near Ferndale which then drains into the 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 Diking District #3 and Drainage Improvement District #4.

For more information see the Laurel WID Mapping Report on the Maps page.

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