Lewiston citizens need a little history about their drinking water.
In 1875, the city of Auburn started pumping water out of Lake Auburn for use. In 1880, swimming was prohibited because of bacteria in the water.
Around the turn of the century, because of the terrible pollution of the water in the Androscoggin River, Lewiston was granted rights by the state Legislature to get their drinking water from Lake Auburn.
In 1923, due to the lake’s water quality issues, 200 camps were purchased around the lake, and Lake Grove Park (where the boat landing is now) was closed. This is when the Auburn Water District was formed.
In 1993, Lewiston paid $750,000 to the Auburn Water District to be half-owners of the land owned by AWD. The land was transferred to the Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission. The goal of LAWPC is supposed to be to protect the lake in order for it to keep the no filtration system status. Lewiston and Auburn each have three members each on the LAWPC board.
If Lake Auburn needs a filtration system, Lewiston residents’ water bill will likely double. Even with a filtration system, the more polluted the water is, the more filtration is needed, increasing the cost more.
I ask Lewiston residents to contact their city council members, and tell them to care about Lake Auburn, too.
Lake Auburn is Lewiston’s lake, too. Lewiston residents shouldn’t let anyone fool them.
Pam Rousseau, Auburn
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