Lake Auburn drinking water must be protected

A five-story gravel pit, the Asbestos Dump, Old Burning Dump, Pionite/Sawdust Dump, Interim Landfill and Demolition Dump have been approved for commercial development next to Lake Auburn, our drinking water.

When I was an Auburn counselor, hazardous waste from the dumps was leaking. The gravel pit was a quarter of its current area and depth. Twenty Maine Department of Environmental Protection reports document hazardous waste there. One 1994 report says “The approximate volume of solid, sludge, and liquid wastes is 2,220,000 cubic yards” and estimated “375 tons of chromium sludge and 50,000 tons of asbestos, with an unknown quantity of industrial solvents” are there. Monitoring wells found 1-dichloroethane and ethylbenzene.

A 2014 report states that “Groundwater elevation measurements indicate that regional groundwater flow is to the north toward Lake Auburn.” And, “arsenic is consistently exceeded at all three groundwater monitoring locations” and high alkalinity levels “suggest that landfill gas may be migrating in this area.”

People can find both reports by searching Gracelawn Road at https://www.maine.gov/dep/maps-data/data.html#re.

The gravel pit has been depleted; the dumps seal up hazardous waste. Commercial development is dangerous there. Digging can invade the dumps. Building roads will change the topography. Sewage will have to be pumped up or in septic tanks.

Too many questions need answers. Let’s protect our city and our lake.

Neria Douglass, Auburn

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