Our Mission
Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission exists to maintain clean drinking water for the people of Lewiston and Auburn by prioritizing land conservation, land use management and erosion control, and community engagement and outreach.
Formation & History
Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission (LAWPC) was formed as a joint venture between Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston in June 1993, following receipt of a filtration exemption from the State of Maine and other protection measures implemented to ensure protection of Lake Auburn and the local drinking water quality. The formation of LAWPC aimed to ensure Lake Auburn would continue as the drinking water source, being tasked responsibilities and authority to implement additional protection measures to maintain water quality.
Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston, along with the Town of Turner, signed an interlocal cooperation agreement for the purpose of assuring protection and control of the watershed of Lake Auburn.
To read more about the robust history of Lake Auburn as a drinking water supply and the events leading up to the formation of LAWPC, click here.
Purpose & Authority
The Interlocal Cooperation Agreement of 1993 mutually signed by Auburn Water District, the City of Lewiston, and the Town of Turner established powers for Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission (LAWPC) regarding watershed protection through land use management and control as well as enforcement.
The Agreement enables LAWPC to act on behalf of the parties in the agreement to implement ordinances, rules, regulations, programs, and policies. It also emphasizes LAWPC’s responsibility to propose new regulations, ordinances, and policies as necessary to protect the supply.
The Agreement lays out a very specific format for a nine-member Board. Three members shall be appointed by Auburn Water District (AWD) – one (only one) must be a Trustee of AWD. Three members shall be appointed by City of Lewiston – one (only one) must be a Lewiston City Councilor. One member shall be appointed by the municipal officers of the Town of Turner. One member shall be appointed by the municipal officers of the Towns of Buckfield, Hebron, and Minot. The Executive Director of Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) or a representative chosen by the Executive Director shall hold a standing seat.
To view the current list of LAWPC’s Commissioners, click here. If you are interested in volunteering your time to serve on LAWPC’s board or would like to know more, please use our contact form to reach out.
The Agreement also specifies that the annual operating costs and budget for LAWPC shall be funded annually by Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston and apportioned equally. The designated composition of the LAWPC board ensures well-rounded oversight from the watershed municipalities and those being supplied by Lake Auburn, and therefore allows LAWPC to be a fully-funded entity enabled to execute its mission of protecting Lake Auburn.
To carry out its mission today, LAWPC focuses on land conservation; land use management and control; erosion and sedimentation or run-off control on all scales; and community outreach and engagement, staffed with two full-time employees shared by Auburn Water District and City of Lewiston. The full Interlocal Cooperation Agreement of 1993 can be found here.
What is LAWPC?
In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency determined that water from Lake Auburn met all the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Surface Water Treatment Rule. This allowed Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division to be exempted from the filtration requirement of the Rule. This exemption was granted due to the exceptional water quality of Lake Auburn and the efforts to protect it. To ensure Lake Auburn remains as the source of drinking water for both cities, the Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission was formed in mutual agreement with Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston Water Division.
Who is LAWPC?
The Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission is an nine member board consisting of three members of the board appointed by the trustees of the Auburn Water District, three appointed by the City of Lewiston City Council, one appointed by the town of Turner, one appointed by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. The towns of Hebron, Minot, and Buckfield also have a shared appointment to the Commission but have not chosen to be represented on this Commission at this time. The Auburn Water District and the Lewiston Water Division provide professional staff to the LAWPC Board. The Commission owns approximately 1600 acres in the 9792 acre watershed of Lake Auburn.
What is LAWPC responsible for?
The Commission’s tasks are as follows:
a. To maintain safe and healthful environmental conditions within the Lake Auburn Watershed
b. To prevent and control water pollution
c. To protect and maintain the present quality and volume of potable water supplied from the Lake Auburn Watershed
d. To review current and allowable land uses in the entire Watershed area and any existing regulations, ordinances, or policies with respect there to
e. To review proposed rules, ordinances, regulations, and policies to be developed in the future
f. To adopt and implement Watershed protection, management, and restoration projects, plans, and programs
g. To act on behalf of the Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division in implementing ordinances, rules, regulations, programs and policies
h. To take and hold title to land within the Watershed solely for Watershed protection purposes
i. To receive and administer funds from many sources to carry out its purposes
j. To take, prosecute, and resolve legal actions to enforce the provisions of laws and regulations relating to watershed and drinking water protection
The responsibility of the LAWPC to protect the water quality of Lake Auburn
What is LAWPC?
In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency determined that water from Lake Auburn met all the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Surface Water Treatment Rule. This allowed Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division to be exempted from the filtration requirement of the Rule. This exemption was granted due to the exceptional water quality of Lake Auburn and the efforts to protect it. To ensure Lake Auburn remains as the source of drinking water for both cities, the Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission was formed in mutual agreement with Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston Water Division.
Who is LAWPC?
The Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission is an nine member board consisting of three members of the board appointed by the trustees of the Auburn Water District, three appointed by the City of Lewiston City Council, one appointed by the town of Turner, one appointed by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. The towns of Hebron, Minot, and Buckfield also have a shared appointment to the Commission but have not chosen to be represented on this Commission at this time. The Auburn Water District and the Lewiston Water Division provide professional staff to the LAWPC Board. The Commission owns approximately 1600 acres in the 9792 acre watershed of Lake Auburn.
What is LAWPC responsible for?
The Commission’s tasks are as follows:
a. To maintain safe and healthful environmental conditions within the Lake Auburn Watershed
b. To prevent and control water pollution
c. To protect and maintain the present quality and volume of potable water supplied from the Lake Auburn Watershed
d. To review current and allowable land uses in the entire Watershed area and any existing regulations, ordinances, or policies with respect there to
e. To review proposed rules, ordinances, regulations, and policies to be developed in the future
f. To adopt and implement Watershed protection, management, and restoration projects, plans, and programs
g. To act on behalf of the Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division in implementing ordinances, rules, regulations, programs and policies
h. To take and hold title to land within the Watershed solely for Watershed protection purposes
i. To receive and administer funds from many sources to carry out its purposes
j. To take, prosecute, and resolve legal actions to enforce the provisions of laws and regulations relating to watershed and drinking water protection
The responsibility of the LAWPC to protect the water quality of Lake Auburn