Watershed Projects Presentation - Lake Auburn Watershed Protection

Watershed Management Plan
Auburn City Building
5/22/2014
The phosphorus in the Lake originated
in the watershed
Our goals are to reduce the amount of
phosphorus being generated and released
Proper watershed management will be
the key to restoring the long term water
quality of Lake Auburn
The Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission (LAWPC) consists of
appointees representing Auburn, Lewiston, Turner, Minot, Buckfield, and Hebron
watershed residents; by mutual agreement between Lewiston and Auburn’s
Water Districts.
It is the responsibility of the LAWPC to protect the water quality of Lake Auburn.
Lake Auburn Watershed - 11,911 Acres (18.6 sq. Mi.)
LAWPC owns 1,320 acres of the watershed (14%)
655 Acres protected through conservation easements
In 2010 the Lake
Auburn Watershed
Protection
Commission (LAWPC)
hired Comprehensive
Environmental Inc.
(CEI) to prepare an
update to the 1987
Lake Auburn
Watershed
Management Plan
Lake Auburn Watershed Management Plan
In 2010 phosphorus input was relatively low; recommendations
included continued conservation practices, education,
monitoring, etc.
Given their experience in the watershed, CEI was hired in 2012
to conduct an in-depth watershed analysis and provide
recommendations.
The report resulted in two types
of Recommendations:
 Structural
 Non-Structural
Structural Improvements
74 BMP Projects were identified
Each one was given a priority rank:
High – to be done within the first two years
Medium - to be done within 5 years
Low – to be done within 10 years
The report estimated it will cost approximately $3.5 M
over 10 years to complete all structural improvements
Priority Areas
were located at
or around:
1. North Auburn Dam
2. Townsend Brook
3. Spring Road
4. Rt. 4
5. The Basin/Holbrook
Road
6. Lake Shore Drive
Rt. 4 Culvert Project
LAWPC partnered with MDOT
LAWPC provided rip-rap, construction
fabric, mulch
MDOT provided labor, equipment
LAWPC Cost = $2,600.00
MDOT Cost = $11,800.00
Total Project Cost = $14,400.00
North Auburn Road Culvert
LAWPC partnered with APW
LAWPC provided pipe
APW provided labor, equipment
LAWPC Cost = $11,800.00
Site 11
Before
$10,000 grant from Maine
Drinking Water Program
Another $20,000 from LAWPC
Work done by LWD/AWD
After
Partnered with Auburn
Engineering as part of Road
Reconstruction
LAWPC Providing Pipe
City installing
Holbrook Road Culvert Replacement
Project Assistance
LAWPC contracted with Sue Gammon from the USDA
to help coordinate, design, and prioritize Erosion
Control Projects throughout the watershed, and help
secure construction grants
US EPA CWA Section 319 Grant
60% Federal Match, 40% Local
Apply in July 2014 for funds to be used in 2015
Partnerships with Regulators
Maine Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP)
Maine Forest Service
Army Corps of Engineers
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Goals for 2014
Complete Erosion Control Projects on:
• Spring Road
• Lake Shore Drive
• North Auburn Dam
Emergency Spillway
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
International curricula training teachers to
teach about water issues. Each state in the US
has a WET Host Institution and Coordinator;
LAWPC is Maine’s.
FishKids- Raising Brook trout in classroom aquaria.
Partner with IF&W for permits and fish, student study
water quality while raising iconic Maine species- then
release into nearby waters (Towns Bk). Also assist with
Auburn schools raising Atlantic salmon.
Septic System Education
Lakeauburnwater.org
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Amend Regulations including:
Promote the Use of Low Impact Development (LID)
Techniques for Development and Redevelopment
Amend Zoning Ordinance to Strengthen Subsurface
Wastewater Disposal Requirements
Update Phosphorus Control
Amend Ordinance to Prohibit Certain Land Uses Within the
Lake Auburn Watershed Overlay District
Add a Steep Slope Ordinance to Prohibit Certain Activities on
Steep Slopes
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Forestry
Professionally managed since the early 1960’s
to enhance water quality
Selective thinning of trees to encourage a mixed
age growth of softwoods
LAWPC will work with the Lewiston Auburn
Community Forest Board for land use planning
and management
Conservation Easements
LAWPC has 7 conservation easements
on watershed properties that are
monitored annually by the
Androscoggin Land Trust.
Lake Patrols
For the past 2 years, LAWPC has hired the
Auburn Police Department to perform Watershed Patrols
throughout the summer to monitor activities around the Lake.
In-Lake Monitoring
Watershed
Phosphorus Sampling
In addition to inhouse watershed
phosphorus sampling,
the Commission
hired CES to do a
phosphorus survey of
the Townsend Brook
Watershed
Bassmasters and PepsiCo Clean-up
1400 Lbs of trash collected May 2014
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
• LAWPC owns 1320 Acres
14% of watershed
• 655 Acres protected
through
Conservation Easements
• 80% of Shoreline
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Invasive Species
Management
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Gull Management – through USDA Agreement
Non-Structural Improvements
Recommended nonstructural controls include:
 Development of public education programs
 Establishing protective watershed
regulations
 Maintenance of watershed lands
 Key parcel land acquisition
 Invasive species control
 Gull management
 Watershed monitoring.
Conduct Site Inspections on
Properties in the watershed
Work with Developers,
Auburn Planning/Code
Enforcement, and
Homeowners to correct
problems identified in the
field
Questions?