Chuckanut Bay

Chuckanut Bay Background

Chuckanut Bay is a fairly shallow and small embayment contiguous with outer Bellingham Bay. The Chuckanut Bay subbasin lies within Whatcom County’s Bellingham Bay Water Management Unit (WMU). Chuckanut Bay is located along the south eastern shoreline of Bellingham Bay and is bounded by Clark’s Point to the North and Governor’s Point to the South. The northern portion of the Chuckanut bay shoreline lies within the City of Bellingham with the remainder in unincorporated Whatcom County.

Chuckanut Creek is the major freshwater tributary to Chuckanut Bay with a drainage area of approximately 4,834 acres. The Chuckanut Creek basin drains the slopes of Lookout and Chuckanut mountains. Chuckanut Creek discharges to the estuary in what is commonly referred to as "Mud Bay", the northern most extent of Chuckanut Bay.  Approximately 16% of Chuckanut Creek’s drainage area lies within the City of Bellingham with the remaining 84% in unincorporated Whatcom County.  In addition to Chuckanut Creek there are a few smaller streams that drain to Chuckanut Bay.

Regulated critical areas in the Chuckanut Creek shoreline include critical aquifer recharge areas, wetlands, urban natural open space, and seismic hazard areas.  Chuckanut sedimentary bedrock bounds the WMU along the marine shoreline and to the east where Lookout Mountain dominates the landscape. Marine shorelines are comprised of postglacial deposits and sandstone bedrock. The majority of soils found in the Chuckanut basin are silt loam with moderate percolation rates.  Vegetation is dominated by mature and immature forest canopy.

Shellfish Harvest

In 1994 DOH closed Chuckanut Bay to recreational shellfish harvest based upon water quality and sewage disposal conditions in the area.  Chuckanut Bay Village, located adjacent to the northern portion of Chuckanut Bay and within Bellingham city limits is a residential neighborhood served by septic systems. Soils in this area are tidal, poorly drained and rate as severe for septic tank systems due to flooding and soil saturation (DOH 1994). The City of Bellingham has enacted a growth moratorium at Chuckanut Bay Village due to OSS failures.   

Chuckanut Bay Water Quality Monitoring

The Whatcom MRC has been involved in monitoring  fecal coliform levels of fresh water inputs to Chuckanut Bay since 2006.  Sites are located along Chuckanut Creek from Arroyo Park to the mouth of the creek in Chuckanut Bay.  Four sites are monitored monthly.  The results are shown below.