Whatcom Water Week Events
Watch this page for regular updates!
Planning an event? Click here!
Run with the Chums
September 12, 8:30am
BP Highlands, Blaine
Join your community in celebrating healthy water, healthy habitat, and healthy people during the 14th annual Run with the Chums 5K Fun Run! This free event welcomes people of all ages and speeds. The 5K course has beautiful views of Whatcom County shoreline and beaches. Children 10 and under can enjoy the Smolt Sprint obstacle course.
Location: BP Highlands, 6898 Point Whitehorn Road, Blaine
Event Organizer: Whatcom Conservation District
StoryWalk at Little Squalicum Pier
September 12 - 20, All Day
Little Squalicum Pier, Bellingham
Dive into the wonders of the Salish Sea with a StoryWalk®!
Walk along Taylor Dock and read 1, 2, 3 Salish Sea by Nikki McClure. Learn about the amazing animals that live in our ocean and why we need to protect them.
Location: Little Squalicum Pier, Bellingham
Event Organizer: City of Bellingham
Kids Water Week Science & Story Time
September 14, 10:00-11:00am
Marine Life Center, Bellingham
Join the Marine Life Center Staff as we explore some hands on science and storytelling about water in our lives. Best suited for budding scientist 2-5 years old and their guardian(s) come prepared to be messy.
Location: Marine Life Center, 1801 Roeder Avenue, Port of Bellingham
Event Organizer: Marine Life Center
Tour of Bellingham's Water Treatment Plant
September 15, 10:00-11:00am & 5:30-6:30pm
Bellingham
Celebrate clean water! Join us for a tour of the City of Bellingham's drinking water treatment plant on Tuesday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Learn about where the City's drinking water comes from, how the water is filtered and sanitized for drinking, and challenges the drinking water treatment plant operators face in treating drinking water due to human impacts in the Lake Whatcom Watershed. Tour will include Q & A with plant operators and laboratory staff.
Registration is required due to space restrictions. Register by email: haroger@cob.org
Location: Whatcom Falls Park
Event Organizer: City of Bellingham, Public Works Dept.
Birch Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour
September 15, 1:00pm (approximately 1-hour tour)
Blaine
Learn how Birch Bay's wastewater is treated and cleaned before being discharged to the Strait of Georgia. Tours take place outside and in an industrial setting; all visitors must dress appropriately and wear closed-toed shoes. Tours are approximately 1 hour long. Please register by emailing: mikekim@bbwsd.com
Location: Blaine
Event Organizer: Birch Bay Water & Sewer District
Tour of Bellingham's Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant
September 16, 10:00-11:30am & 6:00-7:30pm
Bellingham
Wastewater is the used water from our homes, schools, and businesses — everything from flushing toilets to washing dishes, clothes, ourselves, and even fruits and veggies. Every day, about 12 million gallons of this soapy, dirty water flows through Bellingham’s sewer system. That’s a lot of dirty water to clean! Join us for a tour of the City of Bellingham's Post Point Wastewater Treatment plant on Wednesday, September 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to learn how bugs eat our poop and wastewater is cleaned before returning to Bellingham Bay. Tour will include Q & A with plant operators and laboratory staff.
Registration is required due to space restrictions. Register by email: haroger@cob.org
Location: Fairhaven
Event Organizer: City of Bellingham, Public Works Dept.
Lightcatcher Building Green Roof Tour
September 17, 1:00pm
Bellingham
Join an educator to learn how the museum recycles water using innovative green roof technology. On this tour of our LEED certified building, you’ll see how rainwater is collected on the green roof, stored in cisterns, and eventually transported to the toilets to help make each flush greener.
Location: Whatcom Museum, 250 Flora Street, Bellingham
Event Organizer: Whatcom Museum
Exhibition Explorers: Totally Tubular Water Play
September 17, 2:00-4:00pm
Bellingham
Twist and curve bendy tubes to create your own water obstacle course and beat the heat in the courtyard. When you’re finished experimenting, visit the current exhibition, Luminous Glow, to learn how Seattle artist Kelsey Fernkopf bends glass tubes to create glowing neon installations.
Location: Lightcatcher Building, 250 Flora Street, Bellingham
Event Organizer: Whatcom Museum
Bellingham Dockside Market
September 19, 10am-2pm
Squalicum Harbor - Bellingham
Water is essential to fisheries! All are welcome to come to Bellingham Dockside Market during Whatcom Water Week on September 19th. We are a pop-up fishermen's market open year-round on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10am-2pm in Squalicum Harbor. Come buy seafood directly from local fishing families and celebrate with us!
Location: Squalicum Harbor, Gate 5
Event Organizer: Port of Bellingham- Bellingham Dockside Market
Forest Water Scavenger Hunt
September 19, 11am-3pm
Stimpson Family Nature Reserve - Bellingham
Join Whatcom Land Trust for a self-guided scavenger hunt at Stimpson Family Nature Reserve and discover how forests help keep our water clean, cool, and flowing. Pick up a family-friendly activity booklet at the trailhead, then explore the trail as you search for mossy logs, trickling streams, and other natural features that show how forests filter and store water. Kids can draw, check off clues, and earn a Water Wise take-home memento -- plus snap a photo at our fun forest-themed face-in-hole board! More Information Located Here
Location: Stimpson Family Reserve, 2076 Lake Louise Road, Bellingham
Event Organizer: Whatcom Land Trust
Beach Cleanup for International Coastal Cleanup Day
September 19, 11am-1pm
Gulf Road Beach - Ferndale
Join RE Sources for one of our beach cleanups to help keep waterways clean!
Supplies provided. Please wear appropriate footwear for uneven terrain, and dress for the weather. Thank you for helping protect our oceans.
Beach Cleanup for the annual International Coastal Cleanup Sunday, September 21st from 11:00am to 1:00pm Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve: 4601 Gulf Road, Ferndale
RSVP: https://www.re-sources.org/event/beach-cleanup-icc-2025/
Location: Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve.
Event Organizer: Re Sources