The first version of a watershed study for protection planning purposes was jointly funded by Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston in 1987, though the practice of inventorying the land in the watershed for potential contamination threats has been ongoing for the last century, at least.
A watershed protection program requires assessment of the watershed and the potential sources of contamination that threaten the water quality. The most recent DEP-approved watershed management plan for Lake Auburn was completed in 2023. The plan provides assessment and management information and describes actions needed to protect Lake Auburn.
Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Plan
Watershed management entails monitoring and controlling land use activities throughout a watershed, focusing on preventing runoff and contamination from those activities from reaching the water. This can be accomplished using a broad range of strategies, from planting and maintaining natural vegetation for runoff water to flow through or directing it to areas where it can soak into the ground, to creating regulations to keep pollutants from contaminating the run off to begin with. Unfortunately, polluted runoff has not been effectively managed through regulatory programs alone. Watershed management also involves inventorying the sources of pollution in a watershed; educating landowners on practices they can adopt on their private properties to keep water clean; and monitoring the condition of receiving waters over time to determine if the water is being adequately protected or restored.
To find out more about Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission’s implementation of this plan and ongoing efforts, visit our “How We Help the Watershed & Drinking Water Supply” Page