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Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission
Watershed Newsletter
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I used to think of August as the peak of summer, but this year I've started noticing the small hints of fall that begin this month. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are a bit cooler. The cicadas are out in full force, and I'm starting to crave pumpkin and apple baked goods... No matter how you feel about August -- ready for fall or wanting summer to go on forever -- there are lots of great community happenings this month to help you round out the season. We hope to see you out and about in the watershed enjoying all that's on offer!
Phoebe
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REMINDER: Browntail Moths
Browntail moths are out this month! Browntail moths are active into early August and are laying eggs during this time. You're probably most familiar with the caterpillar stage of the species -- browntail caterpillars are covered with toxic hairs that can cause a painful skin rash. While the bodies of adult moths do not have the same hairs, it's still helpful to dissuade them from spending time (and laying eggs) on your property, as this will keep caterpillar numbers lower next year. Adult moths are very attracted to light, so turn off outdoor lights at night to keep them from coming around!
Photo by Bangor Public Works
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Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival
When: Friday August 15, 4:00-8:00pm
Where: Simard-Payne Park
46 Beech Street, Lewiston
The Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival is back, and LAWPC will be there to share in the fun! We'll be tabling in the craft vendor and nonprofit area on Friday, August 15th and are excited to chat with locals and visitors alike about the importance of clean drinking water to our communities. We hope to see you there; come say hello in between your balloon rides!
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Lewiston Farmers' Market
When: Thursday August 21, 4:00-7:00pm
Where: Farmers' Market Community Booth
75 Lincoln Street, Lewiston
We had a great time at the Lewiston Farmers' Market in July -- so much so that we're heading back in August! LAWPC will be at the community booth at the Thursday afternoon pop-up market on August 21st. We're looking forward to connecting with community members, sharing current projects LAWPC is working on... and buying some fresh fruits and veggies! (I do love a good tomato.) Hope to see you there!
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Knotweed Knock-Out!
When: Saturday August 23, 10:00am
Where: Whitman Spring Road Trail -- north gate
Holbrook Road & North Auburn Road, Auburn
Are you ready to get rid of some invasive species? Japanese knotweed is an incredibly active invasive perennial that takes over large swaths of ground and stifles the growth of native plants. It also destabilizes soil, leading to poorer water quality over time. Help us keep knotweed from spreading on Whitman Spring Road Trail by joining in our knotweed knock-out event! Tools, gloves, and refreshments will be provided. For more information and to sign up, visit the link below.
| | | Upcoming Events Hosted by Our Colleagues | | |
Lake Friendly Landscaping: Planting Buffers
When: Monday August 25, 3:00-5:00pm
Where: Taylor Pond Yacht Club
Yacht Club Drive, Auburn
Join Androscoggin Valley Soil & Water Conservation District to learn how to improve water quality through landscaping! Learn how to improve or establish your property's buffer -- a densely vegetated strip of land running along the shoreline of a lake, pond, or stream -- with specific plantings, landscaping techniques, and design tips. You'll improve your lakefront for water quality, wildlife habitat, increased property value, and enjoyment! This event will involve a short walk around Taylor Pond Yacht Club to view a few natural buffers, and a talk about ways to landscape your own buffers. RSVP using the link below.
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Auburn Comprehensive Plan Committee Meeting
When: Tuesday August 26, 6:00-8:00pm
Where: Auburn Hall
60 Court Street, Auburn
The City of Auburn is updating their Comprehensive Plan, and they want your input! The comprehensive plan is a long-term planning document that will drive the city's land use and policymaking for at least a decade. There are many ways to make your voice heard -- every comprehensive plan committee meeting has a public comment section, and there are many surveys and interactive maps on the comprehensive plan website (linked below). Comment on the natural environment section of the plan to share your support for protecting Lake Auburn and the surrounding watershed!
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Maine State Wildlife Action Plan: Public Review
When: Deadline is Sunday August 31, 11:59pm
Where: online - link included below
Maine's 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is available for public review this month! The SWAP is a blueprint for actively conserving fish and wildlife to help prevent species from become endangered and recover those that are. It is updated every 10 years to periodically evaluate the health of wildlife populations and identify conservation opportunities, and represents a true collaborative effort by organizations and individuals in Maine's conservation community. Public comments and feedback are being requested this month -- use the links below to view the draft and share your comments using the online form.
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Reflections
Maine Community Integration
| | We were fortunate to work alongside Maine Community Integration for not one, but two events during July! Maine Community Integration is a local organization dedicated to helping New Mainer girls and their families have meaningful engagement in the Lewiston-Auburn communities while uplifting their diverse cultures and identities. In mid-July, members of the Sprout Lewiston summer ecology education program came to tour the water treatment plant. The following week, they worked with LAWPC's Shore Corps Steward to clear invasive Japanese knotweed from several large patches along Whitman Spring Road Trail. A huge thank you to Maine Community Integration for the important work you do in the L/A communities! | | | |
Pumpkinseed Sunfish
Lepomis gibbosus
As we near the peak of summer and water temperatures rise, warmwater fish species thrive. The pumpkinseed sunfish -- sometimes shortened to just "pumpkinseed," or, in true nickname fashion, "punky" -- can be found in many lakes and ponds this time of year. Its name is a clue to its body shape, which is rounder than that of many other fish and shaped a bit like an actual pumpkin seed. The pumpkinseed sunfish is native to Maine and the northeast but has been introduced as a game fish throughout much of the United States. While young don't remain with their parents for all that long, males do guard the nest while the eggs develop. As the young fish grow the male will fan the nest with his tail to oxygenate the water and keep predators away. Males have even been seen to herd baby fish back to the nest when they have swum out too far. Pumpkinseed sunfish have a reputation of being fairly easy to catch, but rather than getting annoyed the next time they take your bait, give them some appreciation! You likely just caught a male aggressively looking after his young, which will keep the population healthy and thriving for years to come.
Photo by Maine IF&W
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Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
While many flowers are fading away this month, we are lucky that some late-season flowers are just beginning to bloom. The blue-stemmed goldenrod -- a plate native to eastern North America -- begins flowering in August and September. Goldenrods are hardy and readily bloom along roadsides and other disturbed areas, leading many to consider them weeds. However, their ability to survive temperature swings and sub-optimal conditions may be especially helpful traits in the years to come, as the climate shifts and invasive plants disrupt soil quality. Goldenrod is also a key food source for pollinators. Not only does it provide a late season source of nectar, but its wide presence outside of cultivated gardens helps establish nectar corridors between gardens and wild spaces, providing continuous food sources for pollinators to move along. Goldenrod has historically gotten a bad name as an allergen, but it doesn't contribute to runny noses. The pollen of an insect-pollinated plant won't make its way into nasal passages unless a pollinator brings it there, but if that's the case you'll have bigger problems to deal with than an allergy!
Photo by Maine Audubon
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How Can I Help?
Avoiding Contact with Lake Auburn
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As the days get hot, it can feel especially frustrating to have a beautiful body of water in your community that you aren't allowed to touch. Fortunately, there are plenty of swimming spots near Auburn and Lewiston that are easily accessible, but understandably, people still want to know why they can't swim directly in the lake. Read on to understand this rule and how it helps safeguard your drinking water quality.
What's the problem? Direct contact with Lake Auburn posing contamination risks to the drinking water supply.
Why does it matter? Lake Auburn is the drinking water source for much of Auburn and Lewiston. Drinking water needs to be of the highest water quality to protect the people drinking and using it -- you, your neighbors, members of your community, and anyone who spends time in Auburn and Lewiston. The EPA requires that any water utility using a surface water source (as opposed to groundwater) follow the Surface Water Treatment Rule, the purpose of which is to reduce illnesses caused by pathogens in drinking water. Some of the major pathogens that can spread through water are Legionella, Giardia lamblia, and Cryptosporidium. These pathogens can be spread through human and animal waste and can live outside the body for weeks to months depending on conditions. This means the pathogens can live on human skin or pet fur (you are never 100% clean, even right after a shower) and can make their way into a water source if that skin or fur came into contact with water. Giardia and Cryptosporidium cause gastrointestinal illness, and immunocompromised people can occasionally have major complications. Legionella can be transmitted by inhaling aerosolized water (from a shower, hot tub, air conditioner, or the like) and cause respiratory infections.
We are fortunate that Lake Auburn has exceptional water quality -- so good that the Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division have maintained filtration waivers from the EPA since 1991. Levels of fecal coliform bacteria (the metric that is measured to determine if there are fecal contaminants in the water) have never exceeded the guidelines set forth by the EPA, and our water is treated and disinfected to kill off any bacteria. However, the only absolute barrier to waterborne pathogens is to prevent them from being introduced into the source water. Hence, the rule of no contact between humans and pets -- carriers of these pathogens -- and the drinking water supply.
What can I do to help? Avoid all contact with Lake Auburn's water. Don't swim in the lake or allow your pets to do so, and avoid touching the water when boating or fishing. If you think you'll need to step into the water while launching or bringing in your boat, wear clean, waterproof boots to ensure your skin and clothes don't come into contact with the water.
How can I get more involved? Help spread the word! Most people aren't aware of the pathogens that humans carry and their potential impact on water quality. If the topic comes up, share what you know about Legionella, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. You can also provide information about swimming spots in the area: Beaver Park in Lisbon, Range Pond State Park in Poland, and Peacock Beach in Richmond are all beautiful swimming areas within 30 minutes' drive from Lewiston/Auburn.
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Water Quality Spotlight
Lake Sampling
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August is National Water Quality Awareness Month! Instead of focusing on a specific aspect of water quality this month, we are going to look more broadly at the water quality testing process. Our drinking water is tested year-round at several different sites throughout the treatment and distribution process, but during the months of the year when Lake Auburn is not covered in ice, water quality staff also head out on the lake itself to test the source water. This paints a broader picture of the impact of the local environment on the water and helps determine areas within the watershed that could be contributing sediment, phosphorous, or other materials that negatively impact water quality.
When out on the boat, water quality staff measure certain parameters directly, and collect samples for further testing in the lab. They lower a Multiparameter Sonde, which has sensors that can be used to measure many different aspects of water quality, directly into the water column to measure the temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, dissolved solids, and pH of the water, as well as the amount of chlorophyll A and blue green algae present. They also use a Secchi disk to determine the clarity of the water (see our July newsletter for an overview of Secchi sampling and turbidity).
Water samples are gathered using an epilimnic core sampler to collect from the entire water column, and a Kemmerer Water Sampler to collect a grab sample one meter from the lake bottom. These samples are analyzed for phosphorous (both total phosphorous and orthophosphate, a form of phosphorous that is easily used by living things), and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (the amount of organic nitrogen and ammonium that, again, can be easily used by living things). Phosphorous and nitrogen are key ingredients in plant growth and are important to monitor in aquatic systems to help prevent algal blooms. Water quality staff also collect a zooplankton TOW sample each week using a tool called a Wisconsin net. Samples are mounted on a wet slide and viewed under a microscope to identify the different organisms present, and staff also estimate the density of zooplankton in the lake using these samples.
In addition to data collection on the lake itself, water quality technicians Dan and Lindsay and Water Treatment Manager and Laboratory Technical Director Chris also sample Lake Auburn's tributaries and test the drinking water at various different points along its treatment and distribution path. By doing so, they help protect Lake Auburn's water quality and ensure clean and safe drinking water for Auburn and Lewiston. Be sure to thank them for their amazing work if you see them out and about in the watershed!
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Thank You
Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission (LAWPC) is incredibly grateful to have community members like you who care about Lake Auburn and support the protection of the watershed. Together, we can protect the drinking water source for tens of thousands of our neighbors in Auburn and Lewiston, provide a multitude of recreation opportunities, and keep Lake Auburn beautiful and clean for many years to come.
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Join Us
If you are interested in becoming more involved with LAWPC, please fill out our
general inquiries form or email us at lakeauburnwater@lakeauburnwater.org. We are always looking for volunteers, and can work with you to find the best fit for your individual or group needs. We look forward to hearing from you!
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you would like to partner with us, or have ideas for events, volunteering opportunities, or other things you’d like to see happening in the watershed, let us know! Send us an email at lakeauburnwater@lakeauburnwater.org, or fill out our general inquiries form at this link. We look forward to hearing from you!
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