Overview + What is a Watershed
A watershed is an area of land that drains all the surface water and precipitation to a common outlet or catchment area such as a lake, bay, or river. The common catchment area for the Lake Auburn Watershed is Lake Auburn.
Lake Auburn is fed by several inlet streams: Townsend Brook, First Brook from Blanchard Pond, the Basin from Little Wilson Pond, and several other tributaries. As you move around Lake Auburn, you may observe several crossings draining directly into the Lake, or you may see wetlands, ponds, or other flowing features. Each one of these that lies within the Lake Auburn Watershed boundary will lead to Lake Auburn. Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission’s effort focuses on preventing run off into all of these sources draining into Lake Auburn.
Municipalities and Land Analysis Lake Auburn Watershed
The Lake Auburn Watershed is 12,041.3 acres or 18.8 square miles. Five different municipalities lie partially within the boundary of the Lake Auburn Watershed: Auburn, Turner, Minot, Hebron, and Buckfield. The land area and percentage of the watershed within each of these municipalities is as follows:
Auburn: 8,193 acres – 68 %
Turner: 2,620 acres – 21.8%
Minot: 885 acres – 7.4%
Hebron: 184 acres – 1.5%
Buckfield: 159 acres – 1.3%
Water Runoff + Watershed Protection
All water that hits the surface within the boundary of the identified area eventually makes its way to Lake Auburn. When water from precipitation or another event – even drainage from landscaping – flows over the landscape of the watershed, this is considering surface water runoff.
The most problematic surface areas when it comes to runoff are impervious surfaces, which include roads, parking lots, buildings, and even compacted soil. These surfaces prohibit the absorption of water and instead allow water to quickly flow across them. In addition, water collects pollutants as it comes into contact with them. So, as surface runoff moves fast over impervious surfaces, it picks up contaminants, delivering them directly into Lake Auburn.
In comparison, permeable surfaces are porous surfaces that allow water to move and filter through them, working in a similar way that a kitchen sponge can absorb and hold water. Most vegetated areas are permeable surfaces. When water travels over permeable surfaces, it is absorbed into the soil. The soil, vegetation, and microbes filter pollutants from the water, allowing cleaner water to slowly travel through the watershed. Native vegetated areas are vital in our watershed for their ability to slow the flow and filter out pollutants from our water.
Many of the watershed protection efforts initiated by Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission directly involve controlling surface run off by eliminating impervious surface cover and protecting permeable surfaces as well. This includes everything from small-scale planting efforts to large scale land conservation efforts, all seeking to keep contaminants out of Auburn and Lewiston’s drinking water source. Read more here about how LAWPC helps the watershed.
Lake Auburn Watershed Land Cover 2026
The map above shows the breakdown of forested versus non-forested land cover in the watershed as of 2026. Two large sections of non-forest land exist to the southeast and to the north of Lake Auburn. Thanks to the protections initiated by Auburn Water District, the City of Auburn, and Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission, noting both land conservation and zoning provisions, the watershed remains largely forested. These lands serve as an important buffer to reduce run off to Lake Auburn.
LAWPC’s Protected Properties
Land Conservation was the primary avenue to protect permeable cover when LAWPC first had been established in the early 1990s. This was a critical time to protect the land around the lake from development, and it additionally helped to remove old camps with failing septic systems situated on the shoreline. Auburn Water District prioritized purchasing shoreline land in the 1920s, removing camps and contributing to the overall land protection totals.
Fast forward to 2026, and LAWPC has protected nearly 2,500 acres of land within the watershed – over 26% of the total land area of the watershed. A total of 77% of the shoreline on Lake Auburn and 70% on the Basin is owned by LAWPC, totaling 14 miles of shoreline protection between the two water bodies.
These protected areas are primarily forested, serving to help buffer Lake Auburn from run off and contaminations and to keep the land from being developed. All properties outsize of the Restricted Area (Source Protection/Control Zone 1) are available for public access, and LAWPC has established several trails as well as one public boat launch to Lake Auburn. Sharing the lands with the community is a part of ensuring everyone understands the value of the watershed and of helping create connections and positive associations with Lake Auburn.
To view information regarding LAWPC’s established trails and recreation opportunities, please visit our Recreation page.