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A Marina Unlike any Other
 | | Building a new marina... • Converts a giant wastewater treatment lagoon into a new marina
• Removes the highest levels of historic contamination from our waterfront
• Transforms underutilized industrial property into a vibrant community waterfront
• Provides enormous economic, environmental, and community benefits |
"Bellingham's new downtown marina will be unlike any other marina that has ever been built" Jack Cox--Marina Designer Since 1978, Bellingham’s central waterfront has been dominated by a giant wastewater treatment lagoon. Many locals remember frothy bubbles blowing out of the lagoon on windy days and covering the surrounding neighborhood. They could tell what color of paper was being made at Georgia-Pacific’s pulp and tissue mill by the color of bubbles landing on their cars. In 2001, G-P’s pulp mill shut down and the bubble days of Bellingham were gone forever.
G-P wanted to use the idle lagoon as a toxic dump site for historic contamination they had released into Bellingham Bay. Port officials, concerned about the future of the waterfront, looked at other possibilities for the 30-acre lagoon including storm-water treatment, aquaculture, a park, commercial uses, and a new marina. The Port determined a marina would have the most economic, environmental and community benefits; and would meet a specific public purpose by helping satisfy an increasing demand for boat moorage.
Building a marina inside the lagoon will be an incredible engineering feat. 350,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils and sludges will be removed from the lagoon and transported by rail or barge to a certified upland landfill. The enormous breakwater surrounding the lagoon will be cut down and shaped to a smaller size more typical of marinas. Excess material inside the lagoon breakwater will be used to create shallow habitat benches throughout the central waterfront. Finally, the breakwater will be opened and the lagoon will once again become part of Bellingham Bay.
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