Lake Zoar – Beginning on October 19, 2024, FirstLight will conduct a drawdown of Lake Zoar at the Stevenson Dam to conduct its annual maintenance and inspection activities. The normal summer operating range of the station is from 103’-100.5’, and the drawdown will target an elevation of 98.5’. The drawdown will lower lake levels to minimum pond levels and aim to return to normal operating elevations on October 28, 2024, as river conditions allow.
All homeowners are encouraged to remove structures, boatlifts, and docks from Lake Zoar to prevent ice or flood damage from occurring during the winter months. All work planned to occur along the shoreline requires prior permitting from FirstLight, who can be contacted at www.firstlightpermits.com.
Lake Lillinonah – Beginning on October 28, 2024, FirstLight will conduct a drawdown of Lake Lillinonah at the Shepaug Dam to conduct its annual maintenance and inspection activities. The normal summer operating range of the station is from 200’-195.5’, and the drawdown will target an elevation of 190.5’. The drawdown will lower lake levels to minimum pond levels and aim to return to normal operating elevations on November 6, 2024, as river conditions allow.
All homeowners are encouraged to remove structures, boatlifts, and docks from Lake Lillinonah to prevent ice or flood damage from occurring during the winter months. All work planned to occur along the shoreline requires prior permitting from FirstLight, who can be contacted at www.firstlightpermits.com.
Candlewood Lake – FirstLight, the owner and operator of the Rocky River Pumped Hydro Storage Station, will initiate the deep drawdown season for Candlewood Lake, which includes Squantz Pond, after November 1, 2024, as weather conditions allow. In recent years, the annual drawdown of Candlewood Lake has typically been initiated between December and February, with the exact start date determined by weather patterns and planned maintenance timelines. The trend toward warmer and wetter winter weather, widely attributed to climate change, has and may continue to push the drawdown to this later timeframe. The deep drawdown, executed in consultation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Candlewood Lake Authority, will be completed with water levels returning to normal summer operating ranges prior to Memorial Day 2025. A deep drawdown is scheduled for this year. The normal summer operating range of the station is from 429.5’-427’, and the deep drawdown will target an elevation of 420’ with a 2’ winter operations pumping and generation range from 420’-418’. Due to unknown weather patterns, exact dates and associated lake levels are not available. Homeowners are therefore strongly encouraged to remove their structures, boatlifts, and docks from Candlewood Lake prior to the winter season to prevent ice damage along the shoreline.
All work planned to occur along the shoreline requires prior permitting from FirstLight, who can be contacted at www.firstlightpermits.com.
About FirstLight
FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.6 GW of operating renewable energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, and onshore and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage, utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. Based in Burlington, MA, with operating offices in Northfield, MA, New Milford, CT, Adrian, PA, Oshawa, ON, and Montréal, QC, FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America. FirstLight has been wholly owned by PSP Investments since 2016. To learn more, visit www.firstlight.energy or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.