Whatcom County opened a public bidding process Wednesday for the purchase and removal of a county-owned home in Acme, a small community in the Nooksack River valley southeast of Bellingham. The property at 2096 Valley Highway is among several structures the county acquired as part of flood management efforts in a region that has experienced repeated and costly flooding over the years.
The Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District announced the bid on Wednesday, May 20. The county will retain ownership of the underlying property and land; the bid process covers only the purchase and physical removal of the house structure itself. The winning bidder would be responsible for dismantling and hauling the structure off-site.
County officials explained the decision as a combination of financial and long-term planning considerations. After reviewing current county needs and the future use of the site, officials determined that removing the structure through a public bid was the most responsible use of public funds. Keeping a flood-vulnerable home standing on land the county already owns would carry ongoing maintenance and liability costs.
The 2096 Valley Highway property is part of a broader Whatcom County effort to buy out and clear structures from flood-prone floodplain areas along the Nooksack River corridor. The county acquired this and other properties through flood buyout programs aimed at reducing the risk to life and property when the Nooksack spills its banks. Acme, located in the South Fork Nooksack drainage, has been significantly affected by past flood events.
This is not the only structure in the pipeline. County officials noted that at least two additional county-owned homes acquired through flood buyout programs are expected to go out to bid this summer. Those properties are part of the same broader effort to clear flood-prone land of structures before the fall and winter high-water season returns.
Interested bidders can find the full solicitation at no charge through the Whatcom County Purchasing Bid Postings webpage. Questions about the solicitation can be directed to the Purchasing Office at FN_Purchasing@co.whatcom.wa.us or by calling (360) 778-5330.
Flood buyout programs are typically funded through a combination of federal FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program dollars and local or state matching funds. Once a structure is removed from a buyout parcel, the land is usually converted to open space, floodplain restoration, or greenway use, which allows floodwaters to flow more naturally without threatening homes or infrastructure.
For anyone who has watched the county's flood management work over the years, this bid represents one small but concrete step in a long-term effort to pull development out of Whatcom County's most vulnerable floodplain areas. County voters who remain engaged in local policy can expect more such actions in the years ahead as climate-driven flood risk continues to factor into county planning decisions.
