Auburn Water District Treatment Plant Manager Chris Curtis, left, and water quality technician Dan Fortin use an auger Thursday morning to drill through 18 to 20 inches of ice in one of dozens of spots on Lake Auburn in Auburn. The holes allowed them to collect phosphorus samples to determine the health of the lake, which supplies drinking water to the area. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham

Auburn Water District Treatment Plant Manager Chris Curtis, left, and water quality technician Dan Fortin use an auger Thursday morning to drill through 18 to 20 inches of ice in one of dozens of spots on Lake Auburn in Auburn. The holes allowed them to collect phosphorus samples to determine the health of the lake, which supplies drinking water to the area. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham