Candlewood Lake

Candlewood Lake
Candlewood Lake from space (NASA photo)
Location	Fairfield / Litchfield counties, Connecticut, US
Coordinates	41°29′N 73°27′W / 41.49°N 73.45°W / 41.49; -73.45Coordinates: 41°29′N 73°27′W / 41.49°N 73.45°W / 41.49; -73.45
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Rocky River, Housatonic River
Primary outflows	Rocky River, Housatonic River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	11 miles (18 km)
Max. width	2 miles (3.2 km) widest point
Surface area	5,420 acres (21.9 km2)
Average depth	40 feet (12 m)
Max. depth	90 feet (27 m)
Water volume	167,112 acre feet (206,130,000 m3)
Shore length1	60 mi (97 km)
Surface elevation	429 feet (131 m)
Islands	12
Settlements	Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, and Sherman
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Candlewood Lake is a manmade lake located in Fairfield and Litchfield counties of western Connecticut, in the northeastern United States. At 8.4 square miles (22 km²), it is the largest lake in Connecticut. The lake is bordered by five towns: Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, and Sherman.

On July 15, 1926, Connecticut Light and Power Company's board of directors approved a plan to create the first large-scale operation of pumped storage facilities in the US. By creating the lake and pumping it full of water from the Housatonic River, then letting the water pour down the and into a turbine, the utility could produce electricity.

Candlewood Lake was formed behind a hydroelectric dam south of the Rocky River's junction with the Housatonic River in New Milford. Similar to a giant battery, its main purpose is to store water during periods of low electrical demand for power generation when demand is high. Excess electricity from the valley's hydro-system is used to pump water up a hillside into the lake from the nearby Housatonic River during spring, and overnight hours in summer. The water is then allowed to flow back down into the river when extra electricity is needed in the grid, often during the region's mid-to-late summer heat waves. Power is generated by turbines that are spun by the water flowing into the river while pumping is done by reversing the impellers.

Within a few weeks of the decision to move ahead, 50 surveyors began to scout the valley, and lawyers were hired to process the deeds transferring land held by some families since before the American Revolution into the hands of CL&P. The utility had the power of eminent domain and so the farmers sold their land - $2,356 for 53 acres (21 ha), $3,000 for 34 acres (14 ha), $100 for 3 acres (1.2 ha). Inhabitants were relocated, but many of the buildings were left standing and some farming equipment was left behind. The roads were not torn up before the valley was flooded. A small cemetery in the area where the lake was built was relocated.