How You Can Help the Watershed & Drinking Water Supply
There are many things you can do yourself to help the watershed and the Lewiston/Auburn drinking water supply. Even the smallest actions can have positive impacts, and we would love to help you navigate the most tangible approach for you.
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Start in Your Own Backyard
Conserving Your Property
In total, LAWPC has conserved 2,469 acres of the 12,041-acre watershed, which is more than 20% of the land in the watershed. Of this total, 54,867 feet of shoreline on Lake Auburn, or 77%, of the total shoreline has been protected, as well as 18,629 feet of shoreline on the Basin, which totals 70% of the overall shoreline. LAWPC has conserved additional shoreline frontage on Little Wilson Pond and worked in partnership on nearby conservation projects.
This type of land conservation is vital for the protection of water quality, as forest and wetlands offer natural areas of absorption and filtration. These areas slow the flow of water during precipitation events, preventing erosion. These areas also act as natural filters, trapping sediment before it moves into the water, reducing the number of pollutants entering the water. This supports healthy aquatic ecosystems and a clean drinking water supply.
Our goal is to continue LAWPC’s land protection program to grow the percentage of vital conservation lands contributing to water quality protection in the Lake Auburn watershed. The biggest impact is made when contiguous lands are conserved. If you would like to consider selling or donating part or all of your land or establishing a protective conservation easement to be part of making such an important impact, I would like to make the time to connect with you about this at your convenience to discuss resources and various options.
These processes take a long time. You may be thinking of this for five or ten – or even 20 or 30 – years in the future, but we can help you with the tools, process, and planning now. We can help you help Lake Auburn and your community. I know this is not a good option for many property owners, for varying reasons. Fortunately, LAWPC has several other meaningful no-cost programs you may be interested in that can still help you contribute in the efforts toward protecting Lake Auburn, and our staff would be happy to assist you.