MAINE PUBLIC • April 6, 2023
Holly Ewing, a professor of environmental studies at Bates College. Ewing says Lake Auburn, which provides drinking water to 40,000 people in Lewiston and Auburn, is one of the few water systems in the country that doesn't need to be filtered because it has high water quality. She has studied the lake for more than a decade. "Water quality improved dramatically with the alum treatment. And now it's just been gradually getting worse." Ewing says climate change is playing a role. Winter ice cover on the lake is diminishing, and water temperatures are rising. Ewing isn't just worried about the effects of climate change on the lake. The city of Auburn plans to open up more land in the watershed to development. Because of litigation, it's unclear whether Auburn's plan to expand development in the watershed will move forward. But the developer who owns the 148 acres that would be removed if the boundary is redrawn is hoping to construct 1,100 housing units.