WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – An upcoming deadline for Whatcom County water users has been extended.

On Monday, March 9, Superior Court Judge David Freeman extended the deadline to submit water adjudication paperwork to June 1, 2027.

My Bellingham Now previously reported an initial deadline was set for May 1 of this year.

But county officials requested an extension in January after receiving only 1,600 completed claim forms out of over 33,000 that were mailed out. They added that 25% of impacted water users hadn’t received any claim forms, which were initially sent out last spring.

In a statement praising the move, Whatcom Family Farmers Executive Director Fred Likkel said that many would struggle to meet the original May deadline if the extension wasn’t approved.

Whatcom County Public Works confirmed to My Bellingham Now that additional adjudication workshops are being scheduled in the coming months.

As for the immediate future, a handful of options are available for those who need help filling out adjudication paperwork.

Public Works is hosting a workshop on Thursday, March 12, at the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center in Maple Falls from 5-7 p.m. Registration for the workshop is encouraged but not required.

Public Works is also working with county libraries to hold Saturday office hours that are mostly appointment-only.

30-minute sessions can be scheduled between 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with walk-ins accepted from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. They’ll be at the North Fork Library this Saturday, March 14.