# When Science Meets Stewardship: Bellingham's Water Future Takes Center Stage On a warm July evening at Pacific Street Operations, the Bellingham Water Resources Advisory Board convened for what would prove to be one of their most substantive meetings of the year. With eight board members present and one excused, the 7:43 PM adjournment time would tell the story of a packed agenda that touched on everything from customer satisfaction to emergency preparedness for aquatic invaders. ## Meeting Overview The July 22, 2025 meeting brought together water utility customers' voices through survey data and the urgent reality of invasive species threats. Chair Bret Beaupain guided the board through presentations from DHM Research on customer satisfaction and Four Peaks Environmental on rapid response planning for invasive mussels. The meeting represented a convergence of community feedback and scientific planning — the kind of intersection that defines modern municipal water management. Present were board members Carl Benson, Martin Kjelstad, Fiona McNair, Kirsten McDade, John Peppel, Alicia Toney, and Francesca White, along with city staff including Communications Manager Riley Grant and Public Works Deputy Director Mike Olinger. Dr. Erika Rubenson from Four Peaks Environmental joined remotely to present the invasive species response plan. ## Utility Customer Survey: The Community Speaks The evening opened with Riley Grant presenting the comprehensive utility customer survey conducted by DHM Research from April 29 to May 9, 2025. The survey reached 400 residential utility customers through a mixed-mode approach that included phone and text-to-online options, with translations into the top five languages spoken in Bellingham beyond English. Hannah Borenstein and Devin Bales from DHM Research walked the board through findings that painted a picture of a community generally satisfied with their water services but increasingly concerned about affordability. The data revealed that 83% of residential utility customers rate their quality of life in Bellingham as excellent or good, with nearly one in four rating it as excellent — a number that impressed the researchers. "…