Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District

What Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District does

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District is a non-profit municipal corporation and special purpose water-sewer district under Washington State law, formed in November 1968 (originally as Water District #10, renamed in September 2003) to deliver water and sewer services in the Lake Whatcom watershed. The District serves approximately 11,000 residents across an 18-square-mile service area encompassing Geneva, Sudden Valley, and the North Shore of Lake Whatcom through approximately 3,819 residential water connections and 4,164 residential sewer connections, delivering over one million gallons of water daily across three distinct water systems: South Shore (surface water treated at the Sudden Valley Water Treatment Plant), Eagleridge (purchased water from the City of Bellingham), and Agate Heights (artesian well with on-site treatment).

The District's infrastructure comprises over 71 miles of water transmission and distribution lines, over 75 miles of sewage collection and transmission lines, 8 reservoirs, 10 water pump stations, 26 sewer lift stations, and 2 water treatment plants. Sewage is transmitted to the City of Bellingham's Post Point facility under a long-standing mutual partnership under which the City provides treatment (accounting for roughly one-quarter of the District's annual operating budget) and Eagleridge water supply. Operationally, the District runs on 18 full-time staff plus an elected five-member Board of Commissioners, and has earned 19 consecutive years of clean audits from the Washington State Auditor's Office and the Treatment Optimization Program 20-Year Award (one of four Washington utilities recognized).

The business model is a regulated subscription utility: revenue is generated entirely through bi-monthly ratepayer billings consisting of fixed base rates for water ($94.77 per cycle, covering 0-600 cubic feet) and sewer ($206.36 flat per cycle), plus tiered consumption charges ($13.44-$16.82 per 100 cubic feet) above the base allowance, with low-income senior/disabled discounts via the property tax exemption program. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through District-owned infrastructure; payment collection occurs via Xpress Bill Pay (online/autopay/paperless), in-person, drop box, and USPS. The go-to-market has effectively zero sales motion—property owners within the District's exclusive service territory are automatically enrolled upon purchase. Recent capital reinvestment is being funded in part by FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant funding ($2.15M, 2025) and a Congressional Community Project Funding earmark ($700K, 2026) for Sudden Valley reservoir replacement.

Name

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District

Legal name

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District

Website

https://lwwsd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District is a Washington State special purpose municipal utility that provides water treatment, distribution, and sewer collection services to approximately 11,000 residents across an 18-square-mile area encompassing Geneva, Sudden Valley, and the North Shore of Lake Whatcom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Utilities (22)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sewer Pump/Lift Stations & Wet Wells (EUANACAC), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Sewer collection services
• Municipal water distribution
• Drinking water treatment
• Wastewater collection systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water and Sewer Utility Rates: The District generates revenue entirely through utility rates charged to customers for water and sewer services. Revenue is rate-payer supported with no outside funding except occasional grants or low-interest loans for specific infrastructure projects. Bills are issued bi-monthly with base rates plus consumption-based charges for water usage exceeding the base allowance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District is a municipal water and sewer utility that provides treated drinking water and sewer collection service to approximately 11,000 residents across an 18 square mile service area in the Geneva, Sudden Valley, and North Shore communities surrounding Lake Whatcom, Washington. It operates three distinct water systems (South Shore, Eagleridge, and Agate Heights) plus a regional sewer collection system that transmits to the City of Bellingham's Post Point treatment plant, delivering over one million gallons of water per day through 71+ miles of water lines and 75+ miles of sewer lines.

Product overview

Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District is a municipal utility district providing water and sewer services to residents in the Lake Whatcom watershed area (Geneva, Sudden Valley, and North Shore). The district operates three distinct water systems and one sewer collection system, delivering over a million gallons of water daily. Core services include water treatment and distribution, sewer collection and transmission to the City of Bellingham for treatment, online billing and payment services via Xpress Bill Pay, and annual water quality reporting. The district serves approximately 3,819 water customers and 4,164 sewer customers across an 18 square mile service area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Service Provides water service to approximately 3,819 residential connections across three distinct water systems: South Shore (surface water from Lake Whatcom treated at Sudden Valley Water Treatment Plant), Eagleridge (purchased from City of Bellingham), and Agate Heights (artesian well with on-site treatment). The District maintains over 71 miles of water transmission and distribution lines, 4 reservoirs, 5 pump stations, and delivers over a million gallons of water daily to residential customers in Geneva, Sudden Valley, and North Shore of Lake Whatcom.
• Sewer Collection Service Provides sewer collection service to approximately 4,164 residential connections. Wastewater is collected through 26 sewer lift stations and transmitted over 75 miles of sewage collection and transmission lines to the City of Bellingham's regional wastewater treatment facility at Post Point for treatment. Available exclusively to residential properties within the District's service territory.
• Online Bill Payment Service Online payment service delivered through the Xpress Bill Pay partnership, allowing residential customers to pay water and sewer utility bills via credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover), debit card, or electronic check transfer from a checking account. Supports one-time payments, autopay enrollment, and paperless billing options for residential customers.
• Consumer Confidence Reports (Water Quality Reports) Annual drinking water quality reports prepared for each of the District's three water systems (South Shore, Eagleridge, and Agate Heights) in compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996. Published for residential customers and the public to communicate water quality testing results and regulatory compliance status.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 consecutive years of clean audits from Washington State Auditor's Office
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of BellinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003City of Bellingham provides wastewater treatment services at its Post Point facility for all sewage collected by the District. The City also sells water to the District's Eagleridge customers. Sewage treatment costs account for roughly 1/4 of the District's annual operating budget. The District pays for sewage disposal and shares facility upgrade and maintenance costs based on volume of sewage sent for treatment.
• Xpress Bill PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party billing and payment processing service contracted by the District to provide online bill payment, autopay, and paperless billing options. Customers can pay with credit/debit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discover) or directly from checking accounts.
• Whatcom Water AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional water conservation group comprised of municipalities and public water utilities working together to improve water conservation in Whatcom County. The WWA was established in 2008 as a way to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate, with the goal of holistically improving management of local and regional water resources. The District participates in the WWA's Water Conservation Rebate Program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olympic View Water & Sewer District: A Washington special purpose district in Kitsap County providing water and sewer service. Same governance structure under WA law, residential customer focus, and similar-sized staff and infrastructure footprint to LWWSD.
• City of Bellingham Public Works Department: Bellingham's municipal water and wastewater utility. Direct peer and operating partner — LWWSD purchases water for Eagleridge customers from Bellingham and transmits all collected sewage for treatment at Bellingham's Post Point facility, sharing the same regulatory environment (WA DOH) and Whatcom County service area.
• Silver Lake Water & Sewer District: A Washington State special purpose district providing water and sewer service in the Silver Lake area of Snohomish County. Same legal form, rate-payer-only revenue model, bi-monthly billing practice, and small full-time staff structure as LWWSD.
• Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: A Whatcom County neighbor providing water and sewer service in the Birch Bay area. Directly comparable in geography (same county, same DOH oversight), customer base (residential coastal community), and small-district operating model.
• Alderwood Water & Wastewater District: A Washington State special purpose water and sewer district serving Snohomish County. Closest structural peer — same special-purpose-district governance model under WA law, residential rate-payer base, mix of source water and purchased supply, and similar scale of distribution/collection networks.
• Cross Valley Water District: A small Washington State water district in Island County. Structurally identical special-purpose-district model under WA law with residential water service, small staff, and rate-payer-only funding — closest small-district analog to LWWSD's scale.
• Lake Stevens Sewer District: A Washington State special purpose sewer district in Snohomish County. Comparable in narrow single-utility focus, small staff, board governance, and treatment-via-transmission model — though focused only on sewer.
• Whatcom County Public Utility District No. 1: A fellow Whatcom County public utility serving a broader geographic area with water and electric services. Comparable in jurisdictional footprint, board governance, and reliance on rate-payer revenue, though broader in scope (electric utility).

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Public Utilities: Washington's largest municipal water utility serving ~1.5M people. Same regulatory environment (WA DOH), same public-utility model and rate-payer-funded structure, but vastly larger scale and broader service portfolio (water, sewer, drainage, solid waste).
• Tacoma Public Utilities: A second Washington State municipal water utility, governed as a public utility with a Board-appointed GM and rate-payer funding. Much larger scale (serving Tacoma and surrounding areas) but directly comparable governance, regulatory regime, and wholesale-purchase relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lwwsd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-whatcom-water-and-sewer-district

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District