Sumas
Watershed Improvement District
The Sumas Watershed Improvement District is located in the eastern lowland area of Whatcom County, to the north and east of the main Nooksack River within WRIA 1. The area is predominantly agricultural, being bounded by the foothills of the North Cascades Range on the east, and the USA-Canada border to the north. A significant proportion of the soils in the Sumas WID has been classified by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as Prime or Prime if managed. The WID area encompasses 18,563 acres in total, and covers much of the Sumas River watershed,
part of which is shared with Canada. The WID area also includes portions of significant tributaries to the Sumas River: Johnson Creek, Breckenridge Creek, Swift Creek and Dale Creek as well as a small portion of Smith Creek and the Saar drainage
east of the City of Sumas. These tributaries and other drainages are included in Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1) and all except Smith Creek drain north to the Fraser River system.
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 Drainage Improvement District #15 and Consolidated Drainage Improvement District #31. More detailed information can be found in the Sumas WID Mapping Report.
2022 Action Items
1. Identify and complete ditch cleaning and maintenance projects.
2. Work with WDFW and County Road Dept. on culvert replacements.
3. Continued water quality testing.
4. Outreach with our land owners.
5. Support AWB’s alternatives to adjudication efforts.
