AUBURN — The Auburn Water District on Wednesday voted to support a change to the septic design standard in the Lake Auburn watershed and approved a measure to remap 148 acres along Gracelawn Avenue so it can be rezoned for commercial use.

The Water District’s board of trustees later tabled discussions about whether to pursue a $2 million design for a water filtration plant at Lake Auburn.

Superintendent Sid Hazelton said he was not inclined to support that move since accepting money for the project could result in a rate increase for customers and would preclude other bonds the district might require.

Trustees voted to table the matter until a later meeting. That move came after a feisty two hours during which several agenda items, including the matter of the septic design standard and a related dispute over regulations in the city’s agricultural zone, were debated with the public.

Ultimately, the board voted 5-1 to support a change to the septic design standard, which may make it easier for new systems to be installed and new homes to be built. Trustees, hashing it over with roughly 20 members of the public who showed up to the meeting, said the better-performing systems could achieve net improvements to the lake.

Some members of the public argued — vehemently at times — that the city has been rushing these kinds of matters forward in the interest of development.

“We’d like things to be a lot more open then they are,” Fred Holler of Auburn said. “I recommend that you go a little slower. It feels like you’re pushing us around a little bit.”

Some argued that the Water District and city officials have been keeping the public in the dark as they move forward with plans to change the rules around the watershed.

But Steve G. Milks, the city council’s representative at the Water District, reminded the group that the Water District meets every month. Few, if any members of the public, ever attend.

“You guys are the first visitors we’ve ever had,” Milks said.

Raucous debate also rang out as the board discussed rezoning areas around the gravel pit along Gracelawn Avenue, a move that would take 148 acres out of the agricultural zone and move it into general business, which allows for a range of commercial and residential uses.

Some accused the board of paving the way for factories or other businesses in the area that might be detrimental to the lake — all in the name of development.

“There’s too much rapid push to rezone the city of Auburn,” Holler said. “That affects the quality of life; it affects the nature of our city.”

Others accused the board of not valuing the quality of Lake Auburn water enough — an accusation with which Milks passionately disagreed.

“I have lived here for over 20 years,” he said. “I have paid my bills, I paid my taxes. My kids went to the public schools here. I’ve drank the water the whole time I’ve been here. I don’t want dirty water either.”

After long and sometimes disordered discussion between the board and members of the public, the board voted unanimously in favor of changing the boundaries of the watershed so the 148 acres around the gravel pit is no longer in it. They also agreed that a study should be done to address any environmental concerns.

The City Council earlier this month gave initial approval to the rezoning move.

The meeting cooled near the end, but by the time it was over, some still had concerns that too much emphasis was being given to development when the preservation of the watershed should be a bigger concern.

Peter Dingley of Auburn said he fears development along Gracelawn Avenue may only be the beginning of rapid, and potentially unhealthy, growth in the area.

“That may be just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

City leaders say Auburn is leading a statewide effort to increase housing opportunities in the area. Others, however, are afraid that other business ventures might soon follow and the area around Lake Auburn will become overwrought.

“People are upset,” said Belinda Gerry, Auburn city councilor at-large, “because everything is moving too fast.”

Others, however, say moves made Wednesday night by the Water District open the door to many improvements across the city.

Mayor Jason Levesque was at a different meeting and was not in attendance. But when he was apprised later of developments at the meeting, the mayor was pleased.

“This is a big night,” he said. “It’s actually huge. We’re finally going to address issues in this city based  upon a combination of common sense, fact and science.”

Tabling the $2 million design for a water filtration plant came at the end of the meeting and served as an anti-climax after the previous fireworks. No action was taken on the matter, other than a review of the concept’s history.

Near the end of 2021, trustees directed Hazelton to make the request to the Maine Drinking Water Program, which has a revolving loan fund that will forgive part of the principal. In Auburn’s case, the loan would likely forgive $500,000, turning a $2.5 million design project to $2 million.

The Water District has held a waiver of filtration since 1991 that allows it to treat the water with ultraviolet light and other means without having to pay to filter it. But it must continue to meet certain water quality standards to maintain the waiver.

If the Water District was to move forward with plans for a new filtration plant, officials said a pilot program would be created to test which type of filtration system would be needed at the lake. During past discussions, Hazelton has said that estimates have put construction of a filtration plant around $40 million.

By the end Wednesday’s meeting at the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments building on Manley Road, tempers had cooled and before breaking for executive session, the board chatted amiably with the residents.

“I appreciate everybody’s input,” Milks said. “I really do.”

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