AUBURN – If you’ve driven on Lake Shore Drive lately, you may have noticed that a beach of sorts has appeared along the edge of Lake Auburn.

The water is about a foot below average for this time of year, according to Mary Jane Dillingham, water quality manager for the Auburn Water District.

It’s simply a lack of rain, she said.

“There are no drought indicators, no effect on the water supply, nothing to be concerned about right now,” she said. “But we are hoping for rain.”

The average water level for Sept. 1, in records compiled since 1940, is 259.4 feet above sea level. This year’s level was 258.5 feet.

The lowest recorded level was 257.4 feet in 1999; the highest was 260.9 in 1981, Dillingham said. The lake is measured on the 1st, 10th and 20th day of each month.