Golf Balls Deteriorating, Polluting Lake Whatcom
Recent news about the continuing decline of water quality in Lake Whatcom stirred up a question I have about a recreational practice I have noticed neighbors engaging in. It is not a huge issue, but then with so many issues affecting water quality and lake health, it would seem nearly any issue would be worthy of deeper digging. That issue is the driving-range-style practice of teeing off golf balls into the lake. Some can and are being retrieved, but, in many areas, the depth drops off so abruptly that there are surely pockets of balls collecting in deeper waters that will then continue to deteriorate, posing a threat to wildlife and lake health.
From what I have found online, deterioration of golf balls in water bodies is a well-known and studied issue. One of the pollution issues is microplastics. It can take quite some time for them to deteriorate and begin to contribute to concerns, but that time is apparently connected to their age and prior use. The balls golfers use for such purposes are usually older balls they no longer care to keep. Hence, they have been hit numerous times already, which is a factor that begins and accelerates their deterioration.
I know of only a handful of homeowners who launch their used golf balls into the lake, and they are all in one small area of the shoreline, so I have no idea the extent of such practices around the entire lake. But, it seems even a small contribution to pollution should be of concern. Surely, with a large golf course near the lake, the concern must already be known.
I recently talked to a neighbor enjoying his “recreation” about polluting the lake in such a manner. He was responsive and has apparently quit. The coincidental appearance of another person neither I nor the neighbor knew, just walking by, stopped to ask him to stop teeing off balls and compared it to dumping any sort of garbage into the lake that they said would be worthy of a fine, seemed to drive the point home. It couldn’t have been better if I had planned the “chance” occurrence. It reinforced my concerns that someone else has noticed this happening and is likewise concerned.
Michael Waite
Sedro-Woolley
____________________________________
Blaine’s White Collar Crime, Part 2
In the July issue of Whatcom Watch, I wrote a letter to the editor titled “Blaine’s White Collar Crime” (https://whatcomwatch. org/index.php/article/talk-to-us-3/) that exposed self-dealing by Blaine public officials. This follow up letter is about Blaine’s planning director altering the public record to cover up this self-dealing.
On March 13, 2025, the Blaine Planning Commission held an Urban Mixed Use rezone hearing for properties on Dakota Creek and Drayton Harbor, a federally protected estuary. Meeting minutes must include public comments, statements by officials, and deliberations. Between March 13 and April 28, Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger omitted all substantive public comments and his oral commitment to using the most current stormwater management manual from the record.
Only two public comments were received, one from Otto Pointer and another from Jay Taber. The misleading document was then signed by planning commission chair, Calvin Armerding. Based on the misleading recommendation document, Blaine City Council on April 28 passed Ordinance 25-3028, adopting the Urban Mixed Use rezone. The final ordinance omits critical stormwater requirements and critical area protections that were unlawfully purged by Director Wenger from the record.
Director Wenger’s role was not merely administrative; he was the primary architect of the biased outcome. By controlling the public record, Wenger actively discredited public comments before they were presented, shaping the commission’s perception. He then removed dissenting information that would interfere with the predetermined outcome he sought. Mitigation requirements were then relaxed or eliminated in the rezone area.
Altering the Public Record is a class C felony under RCW 40.16.010.
Jay Taber
Blaine
_________________________________
