AUBURN – Several recommendations for protecting the Lake Auburn Watershed were included in a statewide evaluation of potential threats to the quality of drinking water supplies.

The Department of Human Services Drinking Water Program, which regulates public water supplies, announced the results of the comprehensive assessment of more than 2,300 public water supplies on Friday. According to DHS, the assessments identified future growth occurring near water sources as a primary concern. Specifically, many public water systems do not control all land use activities. The federal Environmental Protection Agency mandated and funded these assessments as part of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments.

Acting DHS Commissioner Peter E. Walsh said in a prepared statement that the assessments represent several years of work and the expertise of a wide group of people, including public health professionals, from both the private and public sectors.

“Specific of Lake Auburn, the susceptibility of the lake to land uses is ranked low to moderate. That’s based on the existing water quality of the lake and the protection strategies that are in place for Lake Auburn,” said Mary Jane Dillingham, water quality manager for both the Auburn Water District and the Lewiston Water Division. She explained that the low to moderate risk is due to the lake and watershed area’s vulnerability to increasing growth and population expansion.

“From this assessment one of the comments that was made was that the efforts that are ongoing now, which include educating the public and keeping an awareness for maintaining and protecting the water supply source including an aggressive approach to alleviating pressures on the source of supply,” she said.

Dillingham cited long-standing efforts to protect Lake Auburn from development, which include public ownership of a large portion of the shoreline, for the continued high quality of the water.

“The city of Auburn has ordinances specifically for the protection of Lake Auburn. We’re fortunate in that 75 percent of the watershed is in forest growth and there’s not a lot of development currently in the watershed,” she said.

Recommendations for the continued protection of Lake Auburn include the following:

• Continuing to implement a thorough water quality monitoring program to look for potential trends that could develop over time.

• Continuing to work with landowners to establish protection for areas within the watershed that remain in private ownership.

• Continuing to work with the three towns in the northern watershed – Turner, Buckfield and Hebron – to establish watershed protection strategies that will address and mitigate future growth impacts.

• Continuing to work closely with the Maine Department of Transportation to achieve the best storm water management practices and to develop a mitigation plan for spill and road hazards and erosion control.

• Continuing to recognize that urban sprawl presents a threat to the lake.

• Continuing to conduct inspections to prevent the further introduction of invasive aquatic organisms, including milfoil and other plants.

• Continuing with programs to restrict the use of herbicides and pesticides within the watershed.

• Continuing the activities and prescriptions of the Forest Management Plan.

• Continuing with the efforts of the Special Operations Team for Lewiston and Auburn that is trained to handle hazardous material spills if they occur in or around Lake Auburn, the sewage treatment plant and chemical feed facilities in both cities.

• Conducting an evaluation of boat launch use and traffic on the lake.

“The results of our raw (untreated) and finished water testing have been within state and federal standards. We need to continue protection measures. We’re pleased but we know we still have a lot of work to do,” Dillingham said.

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