AUBURN, Maine — Water officials at Lake Auburn in Maine have temporarily halted an aluminum sulfate treatment to fight algae as a precaution after trace amounts of aluminum were found in the water.
The treatment binds with algae-producing phosphorous and sinks to the bottom of the lake. Now, some of the lake's aluminum is not sinking quickly enough because the upper portion of the water is so warm during the summer.
Auburn Water District superintendent Sid Hazelton told the Sun Journal the stoppage is a precautionary measure.
Hazleton says the treatment was halted Aug. 2 to analyze compiled data. The $730,000 project could restart in September and be completed by fall or early spring.
Hazleton says the lake continues to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water standards.
