Candlewood Lake is in the middle of its 2026 refill. If you live on the lake, own a dock, or pay attention to waterfront homes, the next few weeks matter.
FirstLight, which owns and operates the lake as part of the Rocky River Project, runs a planned drawdown every winter and brings the lake back to its summer operating level before Memorial Day. This year's drawdown was shallower than usual, and the refill is on schedule.
What Is Confirmed
According to FirstLight's annual drawdown announcement, the 2025-2026 drawdown of Candlewood Lake, including Squantz Pond, started on Monday, January 19, 2026. The same release confirms that water levels will return to normal summer operating ranges prior to Memorial Day 2026.
Two elevations to keep straight:
- Normal summer operating range: 429.5' to 427'
- 2025-2026 shallow drawdown target: 424', with a 2' winter operations range from 424' to 422'
The drawdown was executed in consultation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Candlewood Lake Authority.
Why This Year Was a Shallow Drawdown
FirstLight rotates between deeper and shallower drawdowns under its Shoreline Management Plan. The 2025-2026 winter was a shallow year, which is why the lake did not drop as far as it has in some past winters. The Candlewood Lake Authority's republished press release spells out the agreed elevation targets.
For waterfront owners, a shallow year means less exposed shoreline, a shorter window for shoreline work, and a faster visual return to summer.
What the Refill Means If You Use the Lake
By the time Memorial Day weekend lands, the lake is intended to be back inside its 429.5' to 427' summer band. That has practical implications:
- Fixed docks that need a certain water depth to be usable should be back online across most of the lake.
- Floating docks settle into their summer position.
- Boat launches and marinas typically resume normal operations once levels stabilize.
- Hazards exposed during low water - rocks, stumps, shoals - get covered again. Early-season boaters should still slow down in unfamiliar coves until they re-learn the bottom.
For current lake levels, FirstLight directs the public to its automated lake level phone line at 888-417-4837. The Candlewood Lake Authority also shares drawdown information and official updates, but FirstLight is the source for daily lake level reporting.
Why the "440 Line" Comes Up Every Spring
If you spend any time around Candlewood Lake real estate, you have heard about the "440 line." Its formal name is the Rocky River Project Boundary. The Candlewood Lake Authority's shoreline homeowner page explains how it works.
The short version:
- FirstLight owns the lake and the shoreline up to roughly the 440' elevation.
- Most waterfront owners own down to the Project Boundary, but not below it.
- The boundary does not precisely follow 440' in every location. A land survey is what officially places it on a given parcel.
- Modifications below the line - dock changes, sea walls, vegetation removal, sheds - need FirstLight approval through the FirstLight permits portal, and then town approval.
That is why refill season tends to surface questions every spring about who is allowed to do what at the water's edge.
What Is Not Confirmed
FirstLight publishes the target end date for the refill, not a specific hour or day the lake hits 429.5'. Weather, inflow, and operational decisions shift the timeline a little year over year. Until the lake is officially inside the summer operating range, "the lake is full" comments in Facebook groups should be treated as anecdotal, not as confirmation.
Bottom Line
- The 2025-2026 drawdown was a shallow one, targeting 424'.
- FirstLight is on schedule to have the lake back inside the 429.5' to 427' summer range before Memorial Day 2026.
- Waterfront use - docks, launches, marinas - is timed around that refill.
- Anything below the Rocky River Project Boundary still belongs to FirstLight, drawdown or not.
- FirstLight and the Candlewood Lake Authority remain the only sources worth quoting on lake levels.
Sources
- FirstLight - Annual Drawdown of Lake Zoar, Lake Lillinonah, and Candlewood Lake
- Candlewood Lake Authority - FirstLight Press Release on Planned Shallow Drawdown for 2025-2026 Winter Season
- Candlewood Lake Authority - Drawdown information
- Candlewood Lake Authority - Shoreline Homeowners
- FirstLight Power - Permits
License / Representation Note
Connor Kostyra is a Real Estate Salesperson with RE/MAX RISE. This post is informational and based on publicly available sources from FirstLight and the Candlewood Lake Authority.
