No. It's owned by a private power company. However, it is subject to DEP rules, and there is a shoreline management program in conjunction with the five towns bordering the lake and the state. The power company actually has the right to flood shoreline property up to the 440' line.

Irrespective of homeowners' watering systems, we should all be responsible for how we fertilize our plants. There are restrictions on what is permissible, and responsible landscapers and homeowners abide by the rules. Especially now, with essentially no plant life in the lake, we should avoid contributing to algae blooms with fertilizer runoff -- there are no plants to absorb the nutrients.

You will go to college; you will have amazing experiences and learn many things regardless of where you end up! You can do this!

Actually, irrigation from the lake is usually better for the environment. Most lakefront on Candlewood uses well water, and using that water from the water table to water plants and lawns would be inadvisable for various reasons. City water is treated with chlorine and other chemicals, which would be contaminants in the lake ecosystem. The septic issue is another one entirely. Responsible homeowners should pump their septic systems regularly and perform regular maintenance. Failed septic systems can contribute significantly to toxic algae blooms. Neither of those things, however, is impacted by a drawdown other than the fact that you may not be able to use your irrigation pump until the lake reaches a level high enough for your pumping system to work,

My point about the drawdown is that leaving more of the lakebed exposed will not help the regeneration of plant life. We don't want more milfoil control right now; we need some regeneration of plant growth. The carp, which have all grown a lot larger, are eating any plants in the lake bed as they grow. That means no habitat for juvenile bass fish and the possibility of more nutrients left unused in the lake, which could lead to toxic algae blooms. Hopefully, it will be manageable, but it would be better if we did not have to have a deep drawdown this year. The introduction of the sterile grass carp was well-intentioned, but we just introduced too many, which left the lake with almost zero plant life right now.