Haley Lewis, left, and her sister, Grace, feed a pair of calves Tuesday afternoon in one of the barns at their parents farm, Maple Row Farms in Auburn. The farm has been improvising to water their herd as the dry summer has seen their well malfunction. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
AUBURN — With a herd of thirsty cows, a drought and a nearly dry well, Christopher Lewis did what he had to do: turn to his community for help.
The Auburn Fire Department answered the call.
With temperatures soaring past 90 degrees Saturday, it must have felt like bovine intervention to Lewis when the fire department agreed to let him fill his tanks at the Minot Avenue station.
“They were super good guys,” Lewis said of the firefighters.
Lewis was able to bring 2,000 gallons of water back to his dairy farm, Maple Row Farms on North River Road, where the water table and head pressure of his dug well had dropped too low to provide water to each of his 300 cows.
Every day, the farm uses roughly 10,000 gallons of water, Lewis said.
The cows were never without water, Lewis explained. “I just monitored it like crazy.”
Still, a technician who was supposed to look at his well Friday never showed up, and the stakes were high. Despite numerous calls, Lewis couldn’t find anyone able to truck water to his farm.
Cows wait to be milked Tuesday afternoon in one of the barns at Maple Row Farms in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
He eventually called Eric Cousins, Auburn’s director of planning and permitting, with whom he was acquainted. The pair considered trying to pump water from Lake Auburn, but being the weekend, they were unable to get in contact with the Auburn Water District.
Ultimately, Cousins helped connect Lewis with members of the fire department, who agreed to let Lewis fill some tanks.
“I was surprised to get the call,” Cousins said. “I never thought that was part of my job description, but I was happy to help.”
The rain Monday was a “blessing,” Lewis said. “We’ll take every drop we can get.”
Half of Maine, including most of Androscoggin County, is currently experiencing moderate drought conditions; another quarter of the state is abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Thirty-two dry wells have been reported to the state since the start of 2021, but none are located within Androscoggin County.
With the help of a technician, Lewis was able to get his well pumping water again. But he plans to return to the fire station to fill his tanks again this Saturday, when his well will be completely shut off while being serviced.
As one of their cows licks on, Haley Lewis, left, and her sister, Grace, feed calves Tuesday afternoon in a barn at their Maple Row Farms in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Of course, the city of Auburn is milking the story.
“Like the legen-dairy heroes they are, (the Auburn Fire Department) helped the farmer fill a tank to get him through the weekend,” the city wrote on Facebook. “The farmer was grateful, all cows remained hydrated and healthy, and it was an udder success!”
“And here we thought they just rescued cats from trees,” posted the Auburn Police Department. “Seriously, though … nice work.”
As for the folks at the Auburn Fire Department, they’re a bit baffled by the fuss.
“It’s amazing the things that draw attention,” said Fire Chief Robert Chase.
“It’s kind of in our nature not to look for recognition, and certainly this doesn’t seem like it was recognition-worthy,” he laughed, noting the department had simply let Lewis use their spigot. “But it’s amazing how those stories can blow up on Facebook.”
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