Conservation panel issues Hardscrabble drainage order

Conservation · Meeting of October 14, 2026

Auburn's Conservation Commission approved a stormwater drainage overhaul for an industrial site at 15 Hardscrabble Road and ordered the owner of 50 Washington Street to repair failing erosion controls by October 28. Chairman Michael Garland briefly handed the gavel to Vice Chair Ricky Arisme so he could personally move the Hardscrabble order of conditions, which requires inspections "semiannually or more often." Engineer Mike Walsh said comparable gravel wetlands remove 96 percent of total suspended solids. Commissioners also continued hearings on a 75,200-square-foot, six-building warehouse at 190 Washington Street, a PFAS treatment plant for the Church Street wells, and an Auburn Pond vegetation-clearing plan, all to October 28.

Land Use Coordinator Nat Bickford said an abutter reported water "sheeting" under a failing silt fence at 50 Washington Street, prompting the enforcement order.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 2,673 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of October 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.